


Switched!

by NinjagoFan85



Category: Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-02-09 19:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 41,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18644902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinjagoFan85/pseuds/NinjagoFan85
Summary: AU story where show Lloyd and movie Lloyd accidentally swap universes.  How will they navigate their unusual circumstances?  What repercussions will this have on each other's realm's?  How will they get back?  Read to find out!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Collab story with EMPFangirl02 from Fanfiction net. We each wrote chapters for this story, so you will see a difference in writing styles and how we write the characters, but we tried to keep everyone in character as much as we could, but also took some liberties. We don't own Ninjago at all!

 

 

Prologue

* * *

 

 

“Cole, I can’t believe you gave away all of our secret hideouts!” Kai yelled.

 

“Now what are we going to do?” Jay cried.

 

“I’m sorry, guys, okay?” Cole said for the hundredth time. “I accidentally drank the tea of truth! I couldn’t help it! But at least we know where they are.”

 

“Yeah, but what if they catch us?” Jay demanded.

 

“Guys, it’ll be okay,” Lloyd broke in. “I’ll go scout another place for us to hide. Meanwhile, you guys scout out Laughy’s.”

 

Kai glowered but he agreed to the plan with everyone else. Lloyd summoned his elemental dragon and flew off the Bounty. Meanwhile…

————————————————————————————————————

 

Kumori ran through the halls of the Cloud Kingdom, nearly tripping on his own feet. He had graduated at the top of his class, but now that it was his first day of writing a real person’s destiny, he was scared out of his mind. What if he messed up? What if ruined someone’s life forever?

 

He was so worried; he didn’t see his superior until he crashed right into him. Kumori’s head pounded, but he dropped into a quick bow.

“I’m so sorry, sir!” Ever since Fenwick had betrayed the sixteen realms, a new Master Writer had taken over, and he had really cracked down on the Cloud Kingdom.

 

“Get up,” The man snapped. Kumori instantly stood up straight and held his breath as his new boss stared him up and down.

 

 “So,” he said at last, “You’re the new person they sent?”

 

“Yes, sir!” Kumori replied.

 

The man sighed, then glared at the new recruit. “Listen up, destinies are not to be trifled with! You will do exactly as I tell you, or the fate of all sixteen realms will be compromised.”

 

Kumori swallowed. “Y-yes, sir!”

 

“And another thing, enough with this sir business. My name is Shen, and if you must be so formal, call me the Master Writer.”

 

“Yes s—Master Writer,” Kumori corrected quickly.

 

Shen sighed. “Come on. The hero of Ninjago is going on a journey,”

 

Kumori gasped. “The Green Ninja?” He couldn’t believe it! Would he be writing the destiny of one the greatest heroes who ever lived? He started shaking.

 

Shen glared at him. “Sorry,” Kumori muttered. “I won’t interrupt again.”

 

The Master Writer began again. “A storm will hit the Green Ninja on the way back. You will write ‘Lloyd Garmadon will arrive safely in Ninjago City’. Otherwise, he will spiral out of control and be stranded, messing up the fate of the realm.”

 

Kumori gulped. “Okay, I’ll grab his scroll write away, si—Master Writer.”

 

He sprinted to the archives, and searched for the Gs. Gardner… Garfield… Garland… Garmadon! Now to find Lloyd. He looked around, but there were two of them. Kumori bit his lip. Which one was it? He grabbed the closest one and peeked at his destiny. It said he was the Green Ninja. Perfect.

 

Kumori sprinted back to the Master Writer.

 

“Well? What are you waiting for?” he snapped. Kumori jumped and stumbled over to the nearest desk and grabbed a quill. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his trembling hand. Kumori didn’t want to ruin The Green Ninja’s life with a messy character.

Ready at last, Kumori dipped his quill in the ink. _Lloyd Garmadon will arrive safely in Ninjago City._ He sighed in relief. Done.

————————————————————————————————————

 

Back in Ninjago City… L-loyd ate a quick breakfast, grabbed his backpack and slowly began his walk to the bus. He sighed. So begins another day where everyone would hate him. L-loyd was used to it by now, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.

He took a step, but his foot didn’t touch the ground. The world began to bend and shift until suddenly he wasn’t in his city anymore. He blinked. Everything seemed a lot darker, as if a shadow had been cast over the whole place.

 

The buildings he had grown up with his whole life were gone, and Ninjago Tower, the tallest building where the mayor was had been replaced with a funky building with a hole filled in the shape of a C. L-loyd didn’t recognize anything around him, which worried him. As the Green Ninja, he knew every street of Ninjago City like the back of his hand.

So, where was he?

 

 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 


	2. Stranded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Show Lloyd finds himself in the movie verse. He's pretty confused. He meets the Ninja. Things go from bad to worse. Oh snap!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter! In case you were wondering, show Lloyd was plucked out from Season 8. Movie Lloyd got taken out after his 'butt dial' from Garmadon. Still don't own Ninjago! Collab with EMPFangirl02 from FFN.

 

 

Stranded

 

* * *

Lloyd slowly opened his eyes. He felt the ground beneath him was sand, which meant he must be on a beach. He had a splitting headache. He slowly sat up, and noticed that his gi was ripped to shreds. What happened? As he looked around, he immediately saw a very tall volcano with lava flowing out of it on far side of the ocean. He never remembered seeing that before.

What in the world?

_Lloyd was flying on his elemental dragon when he suddenly encountered a ferocious storm. The rain came at him hard, making it virtually impossible to see. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed. He wasn't sure he could maintain his dragon for much longer. He tried to summon more power to stabilize it, but it was losing battle. His dragon suddenly disappeared, and he was falling through the air. Then, everything went black._

Lloyd remembered what happened now as he struggled to his feet, feeling every part of his body screaming in protest. He considered himself fortunate to have survived his fall. He didn't know how long he had been out, but his friends were probably worried about him. He lifted his hand to speak into his commlink.

"Come in, guys. This is Lloyd." He waited a little bit, but all his heard was static. "Can anyone hear me? Come in."

No reply. That's strange.

He pulled off his ripped gi, leaving him in his plain green shirt and black pants. Then he looked for the familiar skyline of Ninjago City, assuming that he hadn't gotten too far from where he was flying. He saw a very tall tower, but it wasn't Cyrus Borg's tower. In fact, none of the skyline looked the same as what he knew. There were all kinds of strange looking buildings of all sizes and shapes-including one that looked like characters of the alphabet. He also saw what looked a puffer fish blimp.

Now Lloyd was really concerned. Maybe he had hit his head harder than he thought. He decided to make his way towards the city and get some answers. It took him awhile to get there, with his aching body, and he had to make his way around a dock with some fishing boats around it. He looked up at a large structure that had a sign on it that read, 'Thanks for visiting Ninjago, 001 days since last attack.'

That made no sense. Sure, a lot of things seemed to always happen to the city during all his years of being a ninja, but he had never seen that sign before. As he walked down further along the streets, he noticed that none of the shops looked familiar either. Where was Chen's Noodle house? Dareth's dojo? Mistaké's tea shop? Instead he saw Tom's TV Repair Shop, a place that sold toner cartridges, and a Pilates studio.

Lloyd was so confused. It seemed that he was still in Ninjago, but it was clearly not the same place that he remembered. Had he been transported back or forward in time? Since they took care of the time blades and the Time brothers a while back, that didn't seem possible, but he had learned that anything could happen.

As he walked along, he spotted a Hot-noddle-dog stand, with chopsticks on the top of it holding a noodle, and with a man standing next to it dressed up like a hot dog. Lloyd had definitely never seen that in Ninjago City before. Oh well. He decided that seemed a good a place as any to start asking some questions.

He walked right up to the hot dog man. "Excuse me, but…" the green ninja started to say.

"What do  _you_ want?" the man said with obvious disgust.

Lloyd blinked, taken aback by the man's rudeness. He had never been talked to with such…disdain before. Everyone in the Ninjago he knew looked up to him.

"I was hoping you could…" the teen started again but was cut off by the man.

"How many times I have told you? I don't serve the son of the worst guy ever in Ninjago. Now get lost!" The hot dog man snapped as he turned to the man in line behind Lloyd, who was glaring at him.

Lloyd slowly backed away. What was going on here? The son of worst guy ever? What did that mean? He was the son of Garmadon, but when Lloyd defeated the Overlord, all the evil had been purged from his father and he became Sensei Garmadon. His father was a good man. Maybe they had him confused with someone else.

However, as Lloyd walked on from there, he noticed that everyone he saw either glared at him as if he was pure evil, or else avoided him like he had the plague. He needed to find out what was going on here. Something was really wrong.

The green ninja eventually made his way to a large warehouse. Around it was a fence that had the words 'Brick Recycling Closed.' Maybe he could hang out here until he could figure things out.

As he approached the large, wide doors, they opened for him. He looked around, slightly uneasy that a closed warehouse would just suddenly open for him. It was a lot larger and open than it looked from the outside and seemed pretty empty. He also noticed giant mechs that he had never seen before. There was a tall red one that had arms that looked like they could shoot out something from them. There was a black colored one that was balanced on one wheel and had what looked like giant speakers on them. Then there was a one that was white and had ice blue colored lights with tractor tread wheels on it and a singular gun. Then looking up, he saw a dark blue plane looking mech hanging from the top of the warehouse. On the far side was what looked like a giant water strider mech. Lastly, there was a giant, green dragon looking mech.

Was kind of warehouse was this? He then heard some voices. They sounded like they were coming from inside some orange lockers on the left side. He watched in awe as he saw five people suddenly jump out from them. They looked familiar…as he looked closer, he saw they were the other Ninja. He was so glad to see some friendly faces, but why hadn't they answered his call? Why were they here? This didn't look like the same place he had left them.

"Hey!" he called. "What are you guys doing here?" The ninja turned and saw Lloyd coming towards them.

"What are  _we_  doing here?" Kai replied. "Why weren't  _you_  in school today? We've been texting you all day, bro!"

Lloyd frowned at the question. As he looked at his friends, he noticed that their outfits were so...different. And what was with Kai's voice? Did he have a cold or something?

"School? What are you talking about? I just left you guys to find a new safe place from the Sons of Garmadon after Cole spilled our plans. I was on my Elemental Dragon and then a storm hit and the next thing I knew, I woke up on some beach. But nothing looks familiar." As soon as he finished speaking, his friends all looked at each other in confusion.

"Uh, Elemental... what now?" Cole asked. Lloyd wondered why Cole seemed so...laid back.

"Sons of Garmadon?" Jay added quietly, twiddling with his orange scarf. "I thought he only had one son." Lloyd couldn't believe how shy Jay was. That wasn't like him at all, and when did he start wearing an orange scarf?

"And you should know that we've had this place as our secret ninja headquarters over a year now," Zane told Lloyd in a flat voice. That didn't sound like the Zane Lloyd knew.

"What? That doesn't make any sense," Lloyd answered, shaking his head.

The Ninja glanced at each other in concern. "Uh, Lloyd, what's wrong with your voice?" Nya asked.

Lloyd looked over at Nya. "This is how I always sound. You guys are the ones that sound different," he countered.

The Ninja were suspicious now. They gathered together in a huddle and spoke in low tones.

"Something's wrong with Lloyd," Cole said. "He's not acting like himself."

"He looks like Lloyd," Jay said, "but he doesn't sound like him."

"Yeah, and he doesn't remember anything that he should. Do you think something happened to him, like he lost his memory?" Nya asked.

"Maybe, but what if he's a spy from Garmadon's army?" Kai asked.

They all looked at him like he was crazy.

"A spy, Kai?" Nya asked with a raised brow.

"You never know…" Kai defended. "We have to find out one way or the other."

"Correct," Zane put in. They turned around and faced Lloyd who was watching them carefully.

"Who are you and what have you done with Lloyd?" Kai demanded.

 

 

 

 


	3. Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie Lloyd finally sees some familiar faces, but are they really?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was chapter was written by EMPFangirl02. (you can look her up on FFN) We hope you enjoy seeing what’s going on with Movie Lloyd now. We don’t own Ninjago! Enjoy!

L-loyd was lost. Plain and simple. And it was not a feeling he liked. He had been wandering around the dark streets for the past hour and he still couldn’t find anything that looked remotely familiar. He sighed. His mom would probably be worried sick, and if Garmadon attacked the city… hopefully his friends and Master Wu could handle it.

 

He wandered down a small alley, hoping to take a shortcut to the main city, but it just led him to a series of small shops in the middle of nowhere. Voices broke L-loyd out of his thoughts, and immediately he flipped up his hoodie. It wasn’t the same as his ninja suit, but hopefully nobody would recognize him as the son of the evil Lord Garmadon.

 

He pressed against the wall and peeked past a dumpster. L-loyd caught a glimpse of white hair and deathly pale blue eyes. It was Zane! He was talking to someone else with a hat and mustache. L-loyd breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, something he recognized.

 

“Zane!” L-loyd called running up to his friend, pulling off his hood as he went. “Thank goodness I found you! The craziest thing just happened to me.”

 

Zane turned around, and his eyes widened in surprise. “Lloyd? What are you doing here?”

 

“Yeah, I thought you were looking a new safe place,” the mustache man said.

 

L-loyd looked closer and blinked. “Cole…?”

 

“Yep. Told you my disguise was good,” Cole said to Zane. L-loyd almost didn’t recognize him and not just because of the outfit and the hair. He looked so much more…alert.

 

Zane shook his head and his yellow face disappeared and switched to a metallic grey. L-loyd nearly jumped back. He didn’t know Zane could do that; he had always suspected his friend was a robot, with his flat voice and all, but…wow.

 

“Lloyd, did you find a new hideout?” Zane asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

 

“A new hideout? What happened to the warehouse?”

 

Did L-loyd hit his head or something?

 

Zane and Cole exchanged glances. “What warehouse?” Cole asked.

 

L-loyd looked back and forth between Zane and Cole. “You know? The brick recycling place we keep our mechs in?”

 

“Lloyd,” Zane said hesitantly. “We were never in a warehouse.”

 

Lloyd gaped. But…but… “We were just there, a few days ago. We always go there before we fight Lord Garmadon.”

 

Now Cole and Zane looked really concerned. “Uh, Lloyd, you do know that Garmadon is dead, right?” Cole asked carefully.

 

“WHAT?” Lloyd gasped. “But when I left, he was still in his volcano planning his next attack on the city.”

 

 “Garmadon died when the Preeminent drowned three years ago,” Zane explained.

 

“Lloyd, are you okay?” Cole asked.

 

L-loyd shook his head. “No. I was walking to school, and then—”

 

“School?” Cole repeated.

 

“Yeah, we all go to school. Don’t we?” L-loyd asked. At this point, it felt his whole life was getting turned upside-down.

 

“No,” Zane answered.

 

Lloyd felt like his head was going to explode. It was like  his entire life had been a lie, or he had been dumped completely different universe.

 

“Well,” L-loyd tried to explain. “I remember walking to school, went the world phased out and I ended up here, and everything was completely different.”

 

Zane and Cole looked at each other. “We need to get him back to the Bounty,” Cole said.

 

“What about the mission?” Zane asked.

 

“Forget the mission. This is more important,” Cole replied gesturing to L-loyd, who still had no idea what was going on. “It’s like he lost his memory, or something.”

 

Zane glanced at L-loyd and after analyzing him for a moment, the nindroid agreed.

 

They turned back to L-loyd. “Come with us,” Zane said, and they began walking out of the city.

 

“Are we going to see Master Wu?” L-loyd asked.

 

Both Zane and Cole looked away.

 

L-loyd frowned. “Don’t tell me he’s dead too?”

 

“No!” Cole said quickly. “He’s just...missing.”

 

Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t handle any other changes right now. “That’s good. When he gets back, I’m sure he can straighten all this out.”

 

“Master Wu was lost in a temporal vortex,” Zane said. “I doubt he will be returning anytime soon.”

 

L-loyd groaned. “Great. Just great. Then how are we going to fix this mess?”

 

Zane and Cole had no answer to that. “I’m sure the others will come up with something,” Cole tried to reassure him.

 

L-loyd sighed. If the others were the same as he remembered, then he was in big trouble with no hope of getting answers.

 

They walked passed a small tea shop and Cole stopped in his tracks. “That’s it!”

 

“What?” Zane asked.

 

“Mistaké! Maybe she has a tea that’ll fix Lloyd!”

 

“Hey!” L-loyd protested. “What do you mean ‘fix’? And who’s Mistaké?”

 

Zane’s eyes lit up. “You may be right!”

 

Cole laughed. “Let’s go!”

 

“Guys?” L-loyd asked, slightly worried that neither of them were answering his questions. But Cole just grabbed his arm and dragged him into the shop.

 

“Mistaké! We need your help!” Cole yelled. “Lloyd’s acting strange.”

 

“He has no memory of the past three years!” Zane added.

  
“And he doesn’t recognize anything! Can you fix him?” Cole jumped in.

 

“Boys!” an old raspy voice broke in. “Settle down.” Both Zane and Cole quieted immediately, and an old woman emerged from the back of the shop. L-loyd glanced at his friends. He didn’t get what the big deal was with some old tea lady, but then again, Uncle Wu looked like a ordinary old man, but was actually a powerful master of spinjitzu.

 

“Now,” Mistaké said. “What’s going on?”

 

“Lloyd’s lost—”

 

“From Lloyd,” Mistaké clarified.

 

Cole closed mouth and all three of them stared at L-loyd. He took a breath and began, “My day started off like it normally did, well, Garmadon called, but otherwise it was the same as always.”

 

Mistaké frowned. “Your father called?”

 

L-loyd nodded. “Yeah, but he just butt-dialed me. Garmadon didn’t even recognize me at first.”

 

“Hmm…” Mistaké took a sip of tea. “Interesting. Continue.”

 

Lloyd wasn’t sure where this was going, but he didn’t comment.  “Anyway, I grabbed a quick breakfast and went off to school. One minute I was walking to the bus stop, and the next, Ninjago city blurred and disappeared until I was in this place.”

 

The old woman frowned and set down her cup.

 

“So, can you fix him?” Cole demanded.

 

“And bring his proper memories back?” Zane added.

 

Mistaké sighed. “I can’t.”

 

The two ninja gasped and Lloyd breathed a small sigh of relief. Truth be told, he didn’t want to drink some strange tea just so he could fit in.

 

“Why not?” Cole asked.

 

Mistaké glared at him. “Because there’s nothing to fix! Lloyd is from another realm. That’s why he has different memories than you.”

 

L-loyd slumped back into his cushion in relief. That made so much more sense.

 

“But how did he get here?” Zane asked. “The Realm Crystal is still in Hiroshi’s Labyrinth.”

 

“And how do we get our Lloyd back?” Cole asked.

 

“Destiny brought this Lloyd into our world. He will remain here until his destiny his complete,” Mistaké answered cryptically.

 

L-loyd sighed. Of course. He got pulled out of the world he knew, far away from his friends and family, plus he has some mysterious destiny that he has to fulfill. Typical.

 

“But what can he do that our Lloyd can’t?” Cole protested.

 

L-loyd frowned. This situation wasn’t ideal, but Cole didn’t have to be so mean about it. He was sure that he and the other Lloyd had similar skill sets, like building awesome mechs and organizing secret ninja groups.

 

Mistaké took another long sip of tea. “That is for you to discover.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting interesting now, aren’t they? Next chapter, back to Show Lloyd!


	4. Surprise!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShowLloyd meets Master Wu and more craziness happens!

 

Lloyd stared back at Kai.  “What do you mean, who am I? I’m Lloyd!  Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon!”

 

The others looked at each other.  “Montgomery?” Cole repeated with a snicker.  “Lloyd never told us his middle name. Said it was too embarrassing.”

 

Lloyd’s cheeks turned red.  “Well, it is a little embarrassing, but that’s not the point.”  

 

“You’re right and you’re clearly not Lloyd.  You have to be some kind of imposter!” Kai accused.  

 

“I am Lloyd.  If you would just listen--” the blonde started to say, but before he could get another word in, he found himself dog piled by the Ninja before he could react. He soon found himself tied up and gagged.

 

“We can’t trust him,” Kai told the others.  “We have to find out who he’s working for and what he’s done with our Lloyd.  We can take him to Master Wu as our prisoner.  He’ll know what to do.”

 

_Master Wu?_ Lloyd thought wildly.  He could break free of his bonds and escape with his powers, but a part of him was curious to meet Wu.   _Maybe he can help me._

 

The others got Lloyd up, and forced him to walk to the Bounty, which was a short distance to the dock where it was anchored.  

 

When the ship came into view, Lloyd barely recognized it.  It had some similarities to the Bounty that he knew, but there were some key differences too.  There were three tall sails of various sizes with different parts of a dragon on them.  The Bounty he knew had two large flat sails near the back and two smaller sails in the front that came out like wings.

 

“Master Wu?” Nya called out.  The flute that had been playing suddenly stopped.

 

“Hello, students,” Master Wu said from behind them, surprising them all.  He looked over to where Lloyd was tied up.  “What is going on here?”

 

“We know it looks like Lloyd, Master, but he’s not him.  We believe he’s an imposter pretending to be Lloyd,” Kai spoke up.  “We think he’s a spy from Garmadon’s army.”

 

“Oh?” the old man came over to study Lloyd.  This teen sure looked like his nephew, but upon closer inspection, his clothes were a little different and there was something off about him that Wu couldn’t quite place.

 

The green ninja took in the old man’s appearance; his tattered clothes, and rugged beard.  And how was he talking without his mouth moving, only his beard? That wasn't the Wu that he knew.  He wasn’t even drinking any tea!  Maybe he was just having some kind of nightmare.  If so, he wished he could wake up from it.

 

_If I can focus, I can use my power and break free, then I’d have no trouble fighting them off.  They’re all crazy!  I need to get out of here!_  Lloyd thought desperately.

 

Master Wu turned back to his students.  “I would like to question him myself.  Release him.”

 

“But Master!  If he--” Cole started.

 

“Let him go,” Master Wu commanded.  

 

Lloyd rubbed his wrists where he had been tied and breathed in some fresh air as his gag came off.  Now was his chance!  He summoned his green energy and created a bubble around himself and then pushed it outwards at the Ninja who were still circled around him.  They fell back and hit the deck.

 

The green ninja turned and attempted to flee, but Wu quickly swung his staff at Lloyd and hit him on the head, knocking the teen out cold.

 

“That is not my nephew,” the ninja master said gravely.  Wu then had the Ninja tie Lloyd up once more and take him below deck.  He decided to question him alone, against everyone’s better judgment.  So they paced anxiously outside the door in case anything went wrong.

 

“Did you see that green energy that he used?” Kai asked.

 

“Yeah,” Cole answered.  “Never seen anything like it.”

 

“I wonder was it was,” Nya asked.

 

“It appeared to be some kind of power from within him,” Zane supplied.  “But how he did it, I do not know.”

 

“We only have power with our mechs,” Jay added, clearly nervous about the whole thing.

\------------------------------

Lloyd woke up with a splitting headache, again.  He noticed he was tied up to chair this time and he was in a room below deck that held all kinds of weapons, including some kind of cabinet that had ‘Danger’ and ‘Emergency Use Only’ written on it.

 

“Ah, you’re awake now,” came a voice from behind him.

 

“Let me go!” Lloyd demanded as he wriggled in his chair.  He couldn’t summon his power since he was too worked up.

 

“You’re not in a position to make any demands,” Master Wu said as he came around in front of Lloyd.  “You used Elemental power.”

  

Lloyd stopped struggling.  “You know about Elemental power?” He asked.

 

“I do.  I can use fire, water, ice, lighting, and earth in fact,” Wu supplied, as Lloyd’s eyes went wide.  His uncle Wu couldn’t do that, at least not that he ever saw.  Sensei Wu is a master of spinjitzu and has the power of creation that he inherited from the first Spinjitzu master.  Lloyd wondered though if this Wu was more powerful.

 

“The question stands,” Wu continued, interrupting Lloyd’s thoughts.  “Who are you and where do you come from?” he asked.

 

Lloyd sighed. This was hard to explain, but he didn’t see any harm in telling his story.

 

“My name is Lloyd.  I do have an uncle named Wu.  I mostly call him Sensei because he’s the one who trained us all in the art of spinjitzu and how to fight as a ninja.  My father is Garmadon and my mother is Misako.”

 

Wu raised a brow at this, but gestured for Lloyd to continue.

 

Lloyd went on to tell his story about how he became the green ninja, and how he obtained his elemental power.  Garmadon, his father, had been evil, but purged when Lloyd defeated the Overlord who had possessed him, with his golden power and how his father had become good and sacrificed himself to save Ninjago. Then he died when the Cursed Realm was destroyed.  He then skipped up to the part that brought him up to the present time with the Sons of Garmadon.

 

“...We were trying to find out what the Sons of Garmadon were up to.  I was searching a new place to hide out.  The last thing I remember is being on my elemental dragon and running into a storm, then waking up here.  You all seem familiar and yet so different.  This place is not like the Ninjago that I know,” Lloyd finished.

 

Master Wu rubbed his beard in thought.  He had heard about other realms, but didn’t know exactly how travel between them was possible.  But that seemed to be the most logical explanation for this situation.  Somehow, this Lloyd had traveled from another realm to here, and that must mean that his nephew must be in this Lloyd’s realm.  How to fix this though was the question.

 

“I know this sounds crazy,” Lloyd spoke again, pulling Wu back to the present.  “But I know I don’t belong here.”

 

“I do believe you,” Wu said at last.  “You look so much like my nephew, it’s amazing.  The only real difference is your voice, and your power.  My nephew Lloyd does not have your ability to manifest power.”

 

“The other...me...doesn’t have powers?” Lloyd asked.  He couldn’t imagine what he’d be like without his power.

 

“He has a different kind of power,” Wu answered mysteriously.  “He is the Green Ninja here for something unique that he has not discovered yet.”  The teen frowned at this, but Wu went on.  “I think he must be in your realm.  Somehow, you both swapped places.”

 

“But if that’s true, then how do I get back to my world?” Lloyd asked.

 

“I really don’t know,” Wu answered honestly.  “In time, the answer will reveal itself.”  One thing this Wu and the other Wu had in common was their cryptic messages.  He then walked behind Lloyd and untied him. 

 

The green ninja gave him a grateful smile.  “Thanks.  So, uh, I was wondering about something I saw.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“When I first entered the city, I noticed a sign that mentioned how many days since the last attack on Ninjago.  And everyone I met along the way here seemed to hate me for no reason.”

 

“Ah, that is harder to understand,” Wu began.  “You see, my nephew, is the son of the evil Lord Garmadon, the worst person in the history of Ninjago.  And because of that, everyone in Ninjago hates him.”

 

“But does the other Lloyd have a relationship with his father?” Lloyd asked.   

 

“No, he doesn’t.  He’d rather be anyone else but Lord Garmadon’s son,” Wu answered, sounding sad.

 

“But it’s not his fault that his father is evil,” Lloyd argued. That didn’t sound fair to him for everyone to blame this other Lloyd for what his father was.  Even when his own father was evil, no one hated him because of it. This sounded so wrong. 

 

“I know,” Wu answered.  “But that’s how the people of Ninjago view him.  School is especially difficult for my nephew.  His only friends are the ninja that you met.”

 

Lloyd didn’t know what to think.  The other Lloyd from this world had it pretty hard.  But it still didn’t make sense why everyone hated him.  He was about to ask more when there was a knock on the door.

 

“Master, is everything okay?” Kai asked.

 

Wu turned to the other ninja who were all still waiting outside.   “Yes.  We can trust him,” he answered, gesturing to Lloyd.

 

“Who is he?” Cole asked as they stepped into the room.

 

“He is Lloyd, but from another realm.  He and my nephew swapped places somehow,” Wu explained.

 

“So our Lloyd is in his world?” Nya asked.

 

“Apparently so.  I don’t know why or how yet, but I have heard of other realms, and believe it’s possible to travel between them.”

 

“So how do we get our Lloyd back?” Kai wanted to know.

 

Lloyd crossed his arms, miffed that they were all talking about him as if he wasn’t in the room. Zane picked up a signal coming through his sensors that he used to keep tabs on the news.  He listened carefully.

 

“I’m not sure yet...but we can trust this Lloyd,” Wu assured them.

 

“Well, if you say so, Master Wu,” Cole answered with a shrug.  “We need to give him another name.  Like Lloyd 2.0.” 

 

Kai snickered. Jay cracked a smile.

 

Lloyd frowned.  “No thanks.”

 

Zane interrupted.  “Garmadon’s army has been spotted on the beach,” the ice ninja said.  “I just heard the report from GMN.”

 

Lloyd looked at them in confusion.  What was GMN?  And what was Garmadon’s army?  Was it like the group the Sons of Garmadon that he had just discovered?  He turned to Master Wu. 

 

“What’s going on?” he asked.

 

“Garmadon and his army are trying to take over Ninjago...again,” Wu answered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh snap! Garmadon is attacking-what will showLloyd do now? Next chapter will be back with movieLloyd.
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and Kudos! You guys make my day!


	5. Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie Lloyd makes an interesting choice...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is EMPFangirl02's chapter-Enjoy!

L-loyd, Zane, and Cole finally made it out of Ninjago and stood on the edge of the docks. L-loyd looked around for the Bounty, but he didn't see it anywhere.

"Um… guys? This is a dead end."

Zane shook his head. "It would be, but fortunately for us, we have elemental dragons that can carry us to the Bounty."

L-loyd blinked. "Elemental dragons?"

"You haven't unlocked them in your world?" Cole asked.

"Nope."

"What about your elemental powers?" Cole demanded.

"I have elemental powers?" His uncle hadn't mentioned anything about powers, just assigned them names and colors.

Cole faced palmed. "Great. How on earth are we going to get him back the Bounty?"

Zane frowned. "How do you travel in your realm?"

"We ride around in mechs," L-loyd answered.

Cole groaned. "It could take forever to build a mech."

"Maybe we should carry him between us," Zane agreed.

"Well, not necessarily," L-loyd answered.

Zane and Cole gaped, while he looked around the dock. The pieces separated and reassembled in his mind until he got a picture of a simple vehicle that was probably sea worthy. Ish. Lloyd began to tear up the ground and began to build a frame of a boat.

For a moment, L-loyd almost felt like he was home again. He wished Nya was here; she was amazing at building things from scratch. Or Zane. Or any of his friends really. L-loyd sighed.

"What's wrong?" Cole asked.

"Nothing. Can you hand me a two by four?"

* * *

An hour later, L-loyd pushed the boat off the dock and slung over the side next to Cole and Zane.

"Wow. I've never seen anything like that," Cole remarked.

"Indeed," Zane said.

L-loyd shrugged. "Back home, I'm what you call a Master Builder. I look at pieces, and I can just see what they can make."

"So cool," Cole answered. "I wish I could do that."

L-loyd wasn't quite sure what to do with all the attention. "Yeah...but you guys have elemental powers. That's way cooler."

"I'm sure you have elemental powers as well," Zane told him. "You just have to reach your true potential."

L-loyd frowned. "I think if I had powers, my uncle would have mentioned it by now."

"I don't know. Sensei tends to hold back a lot of critical information," Cole said.

"In your world," L-loyd answered. Sure, Wu could be mysterious, and his messages were next to impossible to decipher, but he wouldn't hold back something that important. Wu was the one who first told him about Garmadon, while his mom shied away from the subject. Wu brought L-loyd and his only friends together. He would have mentioned if L-loyd also had super awesome elemental powers.

Zane and Cole were silent for the rest of the trip. Eventually, they reached the Bounty, where the rest of the ninja swarmed to them. L-loyd recognized Jay, Kai, and Nya, but there was another girl he had never seen before in his life. Had they added another member to their team in this world?

"Did you find the Sons of Garmadon?" Jay asked.

"Wait, I thought you said Garmadon was dead?" L-loyd asked.

Zane cast him a sympathetic glance. "They are a biker gang attempting to collect all three oni masks."

Jay glanced between Zane and L-loyd. "Yeah, shouldn't you know that, Lloyd?"

"He's from another realm," Cole explained.

"Seriously? That's amazing!" Jay exclaimed.

L-loyd tried to smile, but he couldn't believe how different this Jay was compared to the one in his world.

"So, then what happened to our Lloyd?" Kai demanded.

"He's in this guy's realm," Cole answered.

"What?" Kai snapped.

"Yeah, you guys are stuck with me," L-loyd said. "Sorry."

Kai glared. "How do we get our Lloyd back?" he growled.

L-loyd winced. This Kai was extremely overprotective, even more so than the one he knew back home.

"Until Lloyd fulfills his destiny, he will remain in this realm," Zane explained. "We took him to see Mistaké and that is what she said."

Everyone groaned. L-loyd glanced between all of them and sighed. Once again, he was an outsider that no one wanted.

"So… what's been going on with you guys? Anything I can help with?"

They just stared. "Well," Nya said at last. "We've been dealing with the Sons of Garmadon. We were just about to infiltrate them."

L-loyd clapped his hands together. "Sounds great!"

Silence. From the looks on their faces, they picked up on his awkwardness. L-loyd swallowed. "Why don't you do that? I'll just, um, be below deck. Catching up on stuff. Yeah."

Zane nodded. Kai crossed his arms. "Go ahead. Just stay out of our way."

L-loyd nodded sadly and walked away.

"Um, other Lloyd?" Jay called. L-loyd froze and gritted his teeth. 'Other Lloyd'?

"The stairs are the other way."

Great. Not even the Bounty was the same. He sighed and turned around, the eyes of the ninja boring holes in his back.

When Lloyd was almost out of earshot, he heard Nya say, "Harumi, maybe you should go with him."

L-loyd clenched his fists and stomped down below deck. He knew these weren't his friends, but it still stung that they sent someone to chaperone him. He could handle himself. L-loyd glanced at all the doors. One of these probably led to database or something useful.

He grabbed the nearest one but jumped back as a mop and push broom clattered to the ground. L-loyd groaned and bent to pick them up, when a cold hand brushed his. L-loyd jerked back and saw the strange girl from earlier.

"Can I help?" She asked sweetly.

"Uh, sure?" L-loyd said. The girl grabbed the handles and when they were back in the closet, he closed the door.

Then she stared at him, and L-loyd fidgeted uncomfortably. "So… your name is…?"

She blinked. "Oh, my apologizes. I'm Harumi. Princess of Ninjago."

"Oh." Should he bow? There wasn't any royalty in his city, so he didn't know the proper behavior. He decided to above and beyond, just in case. He kneeled and bowed his head. "Your Highness."

Harumi giggled. "You don't have to be so formal. Just Rumi is fine."

L-loyd blushed and stood back up. "Sorry. We don't have any royalty in Ninjago, I mean, in my realm. Just a mayor."

Harumi smiled warmly. "It's okay."

She led him further down the hall and opened a door that lead to a living room type area, with cushions, a table and TV. L-loyd sat down and Harumi knelt across from him.

"It seems there are a lot of differences between your realm and ours," she began.

L-loyd sighed. "You have no idea. Even my friends are like strangers."

Harumi frowned. "How so?"

"You know Jay? In my realm, he is super shy. Before he became a ninja, he had severe social anxiety, still kinda does actually. He's scared of almost everything and is usually pretty quiet."

Harumi chuckled. "You're right. I can't picture Jay being quiet for more than a few seconds."

L-loyd stared down at his hands. "And then there's Garmadon. I got a call from him this morning, but in this world…"

Harumi's smile faded. "I'm sorry, Lloyd. That must be hard for you."

L-loyd shrugged. "It's alright. We aren't really that close."

"Still…" Harumi said. "He's your father."

"Yeah, but he's also an evil warlord bent on destroying my city. He left my mom and me when I was a baby and hasn't been a part of my life since. I saw him once when I was seven, but that's it."

"I'm sorry," she said again, and reached out to take his hand. L-loyd flushed and drew back. He hardly knew this girl. What on earth was she doing?

Silence fell between them. Finally, Harumi spoke again. "I lost my parents at a young age, and then my adopted parents, the Emperor and Empress, died during an attack on the palace. I know how you feel."

He doubted that. Not even his friends back home knew how he felt. They tried, and he appreciated that, but none of them could really understand being the son of a villain. L-loyd cleared his throat and tried to change the subject. "So, what was Garmadon like in this world? Before he died?"

Harumi's smiled and her eyes shimmered with admiration. "He was a hero. When the Great Devourer was released, the ninja couldn't stop him. It destroyed everything in its path, but Lord Garmadon defeated it single handedly. He was a great man."

"Wow," L-loyd said. He couldn't believe it. "I wish I could've met him."

Harumi stared at him for a long time. Then, she leaned forward slowly and whispered.

"What if I told you there was a way to bring him back?"

L-loyd's eyes widened. "How?"

"If all three oni masks are gathered together, they have the power to resurrect the dead," Harumi explained.

L-loyd's breath caught in his throat. He could have a real dad, someone who loved him, someone who would  _be there_.

"Are you in?" Harumi asked.

L-loyd didn't hesitate. "Yes."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh snap! Wonder if you saw that coming? Are you curious as to what L-loyd is thinking? How will it all turn out? We appreciate so much all your support of this story! Thank you for the comments and kudos! Until next time we will go back to show Lloyd!


	6. Superior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShowLloyd meets movieGarmadon and first impressions are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This follows the movie plot pretty closely, but have no fear, it will diverge from the movie plot soon.

 

"How are we going to stop Garmadon and his army without the real Lloyd to lead us?" Kai wanted to know.

"Yeah, we can't do this without him," Cole agreed.

"I'm right here, in case you haven't noticed," Lloyd told the Ninja, waving his hand in Cole's face. "I'm real and I can help."

"No offense, uh, Lloyd 2.0," Kai said, "but you're not the same person. You don't really know what you're getting into."

Lloyd huffed. "My name is Lloyd, and I know I'm not the Lloyd of this world, but I have elemental power that can be useful. You saw me use 'green energy' above deck. I can use my power to stop Garmadon." It felt weird to have these words coming out of his mouth about Garmadon, but he technically wasn't his father in this world. So it would be easier to deal with him.

"It is true that we could make use of this Lloyd's power," Zane put in.

"What do you think, Master Wu?" Nya asked. Jay just stood quietly by her, fiddling with his orange scarf. As far as he was concerned, he would go along with what everyone else thought.

Master Wu rubbed his beard again. He turned to Lloyd. "This Garmadon is a different person than the Garmadon that you described in your world. Are you sure that you're prepared for that?"

Lloyd looked at the ninja master confidently. "Yes. I want to be useful while I'm here. And...I want to see him for myself."

"Very well. Do you have a gi to wear?" Wu asked.

"Yes, I have a spare," Lloyd answered, putting it out of his shirt.

"Good, put that on. Garmadon doesn't know that the Green Ninja is his son. So you'll need to keep that illusion."

"What? My father knew when I was eight that I was the Green Ninja," Lloyd answered as he pulled on his gi.

"I formed the secret Ninja force, so you could all keep your true identities a safe," Wu explained. He then turned to the Ninja. "Students, take Lloyd with you and stop Garmadon from reaching Ninjago Tower."

"What's so special about Ninjago Tower?" Lloyd asked.

"It's where the mayor of the whole city is," Kai answered.

"And if Garmadon reaches the top of it, he'll conquer all of Ninjago," Wu finished.

That didn't make any sense to Lloyd, but this wasn't his world. Something he had to constantly keep reminding himself. They quickly left the Bounty to get back to their mechs in the warehouse.

Once there, Cole asked, "Should Lloyd 2.0 use the green dragon mech?"

Lloyd wished they would stop calling him that. "I don't need that," he answered before anyone else could. "I can use my Elemental Dragon."

They all looked at him in surprise, as Lloyd demonstrated. He summoned his energy and produced a large, green dragon.

"Woah!" they all chorused.

"That is so Ninja," Jay said as the others agreed. They all climbed into their mechs and took off towards the city to confront Garmadon.

Lloyd followed the others, since he wasn't familiar with this outlay of the city. He saw people invading the city in various kinds of costumes that resembled sea creatures and some with mechs to match. He had never seen anything like it.

What kind of army was this?

"Okay," Kai called over the comm. "Remember how Lloyd told us to do this before: Jay take the air, Nya—water, Zane and Cole, take downtown. I'll help Lloyd 2.0 with Garmadon. If we need back up, we'll call." The others agreed and headed to their respective parts of the city.

Since Lloyd didn't have a comm, he wasn't sure exactly what was going on when the others parted ways. He saw Kai's mech waving at him to follow, so he did so.

Kai knew they had to cut Garmadon off before he reached Ninjago Tower. He just hoped that the 'tag along Lloyd' would indeed be useful, and not just get in the way.

Cole, Zane and Nya worked on picking off Garmadon's army, while Jay took on the air borne mechs.

"With our mechs, we're totally unstoppable," Jay said, as he fried a few of the airplanes with his electric mech.

Cole smashed the ground, knocking over a odd shaped mech. "Yeah, I think they don't like my latest track."

Zane froze several mechs with his ice gun, while Nya took out the army water mechs. They seemed to be pushing down their numbers.

Garmadon spied the Tower as he made his way through the city. "Now, all I have to do is climb to the top of Ninjago Tower and then I will rule over Ninjago."

The mayor at the top of the tower heard this broadcasted on the large, giant screens from GMN that were covering this news, even as her own face flashed onto the screen. "Wait, what?" She gasped.

"I said, I will rule over Ninjago, forever!" Garmadon's face appeared on all the screens of Ninjago. He then let out loud, maniacal laugh.

Lloyd was stunned at seeing Garmadon for the first time as his face showed up on all the screens. Even when his father was evil, he looked nothing like this. This Garmadon had a much different helmet and armor on, along with a long, blue cape. His eyes glowed like lava, and he laughed like… like he enjoyed all the destruction he was causing. While his father was evil, he did it because the venom forced him to, but this...

And then there was Garmadon's voice…it was deep and smug and cocky. Plus, what in Ninjago was up with his shark-looking mech? The teen glanced at the army. He was beginning to notice a clear ocean theme going on here. This man was absolutely nothing like his father.

Kai yelled up at Lloyd. "Lloyd 2.0! Focus! We have to stop Garmadon from reaching Ninjago Tower!"

Lloyd shook his head. He then spotted a school bus dangling precariously over an overpass.

_I've got to save them!_

He swooped down to the bus and used his elemental power to blast the crab like mech off the road. Then with his dragon, he grabbed the bus before it plunged below and put it down safely, next to a cheering crowd.

Kai was getting bogged down by shark army goons that started attacking him. Lloyd yanked on the reins and rushed to the fire ninja's side.

"Don't worry about me!" He yelled, flaming goons widely. "Stop Garmadon!"

Lloyd hesitated. He didn't want to leave a ninja behind in any world, but he nodded and took off.

Kai watched him go, then went back to flaming the shark army. He hoped Lloyd would get to Garmadon before it was too late. The generals clambered on his back and he turned, spewing fire everywhere, but they kept coming by the droves. Hopefully Lloyd 2.0 would fare better.

Lloyd quickly made his way to where he saw Garmadon walking through the center of the city towards the Tower. He had to stop him. So why was he hesitating? This man wasn't his father after all.

_Enough, Lloyd! Concentrate!_

He flew his dragon down and hovered right in front of Garmadon. "Hold it right there!"

"Ah, it's the Green Ninja," Garmadon smirked showing teeth. He studied the teen for a moment. "Wait just a second, there's something different about you-but don't tell me..." the warlord paused as he went into deep thought.

Lloyd froze. Would this Garmadon know that he's not the Green Ninja from this world? He didn't know what the other Lloyd wore for his ninja attire, except that it had to be green. His Elemental Dragon would probably be a dead giveaway. The dragon mech Lloyd saw in the warehouse must have been built by the other Lloyd, and clearly, they didn't look the same.

"Ah, I got it! You have cold! That's why your voice sounds different!" Garmadon announced.

"Uh, no-that's not-" Lloyd started to say before he got cut off.

"Too bad for you. Don't think I will go easy on you just 'cuz you're not feeling well," the warlord continued.

"I'm not-!" Lloyd tried again.

"And don't get me sick, 'cuz I'm going the top of that Tower," Garmadon added.

Lloyd couldn't believe how hard it was to have a conversation with the warlord. He was egotistical and didn't listen to anything. What was wrong with him?

"Why do you want to conquer Ninjago?" Lloyd ventured to ask.

"Do I need a reason? I'm a warlord. It's what I do," Garmadon answered. "I've wanted to conquer this city ever since I laid eyes on it, a long time ago when…" he trailed off.

"When...what?" the teen asked, curiously.

"It doesn't matter. Now, get out my way," the warlord told Lloyd.

Lloyd suspected there was a reason behind wanting to conquer Ninjago that this Garmadon didn't want to reveal. It sounded...personal.

"I can't let you do that," Lloyd said. "I will stop you."

"Really?" Garmadon answered smugly. "Let's see you try."

"Fine!" Lloyd answered, getting riled up, and began to summon his energy. One big, blast should do it; not enough to hurt the warlord, but destroy his mech. That would put a stop to him.

The other ninja were finally approaching, having sent most of the Shark army retreating. They saw Lloyd and Garmadon facing off.

Feeling he gathered enough, Lloyd aimed his energy ball at the shark mech and released it. The blast came so quickly, that Garmadon didn't have time to put up his upgraded shields, and his mech got blasted into many pieces, and threw the warlord back a few feet, stirring up a large cloud of dust.

"Wow, did you see that?" Kai asked the others.

"Yeah, that was unreal," Cole said.

"I can't believe that this Lloyd took out Garmadon single-handedly," Nya said.

"Technically Garmadon is still there," Zane pointed out.

As the dust cleared, Lloyd watched as Garmadon got up and looked around at what was left of his shark mech, which wasn't much.

"Woah, where did that come from? Didn't see that coming," he said as he dusted himself off. The remnants of the Shark Army surrounded their leader, ready to intervene.

"That was very impressive Green Ninja. I don't know how you did that, but this is far from over. All you did was delay the inevitable. I'll be coming back," the warlord promised, as his army picked him up in one of their mechs.

"And when I return, I'll have something really wicked in store for you...something big!" Garmadon laughed as he left, his army following.

"Aw great! Now I have rebuild my Pilates studio," a man said.

"This is all Lloyd's fault, I know he had something to do with this," another person said.

"Why can't the Ninja just get rid of Garmadon for good?" a woman complained.

Lloyd heard the citizen's words. This is what the other Lloyd had to deal with all the time? He didn't know if he could take it. He wasn't used to hearing such negative comments. Everyone hating him all the time, even though he done nothing wrong, even though he had saved them, was exhausting.

The other Ninja came around Lloyd. "That was so cool how you used that blast to destroy Garmadon's mech!" Jay said.

"Man, I wish we could do that!" Kai joined in, excitedly.

Lloyd wasn't really listening to the other ninja gush about what he had done. He was watching Garmadon slowly disappear, heading for the ominous looking volcano.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has commented and for kudos! Much appreciated!


	7. Sabotage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L-loyd learns more about Harumi's plan...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is EMPFangirl02's chapter.

"So, what do we do now?" L-loyd asked. "We don't know where the third mask is?"

Harumi smirked. "But the Sons of Garmadon have the map. With any luck, we will have the Mask of Hatred in our possession and we can bring Lord Garmadon back to life."

L-loyd frowned. "Not a very nice name is it? Mask of Hatred?"

The princess just shrugged. "It must be an Oni thing."

"So, do the others know about this?" L-loyd asked.

"No! It needs to stay that way. If they knew what we were trying do, they would stop us."

L-loyd didn't understand. "Why? Wouldn't they want Garmadon back too?"

Harumi shook her head. "They don't see him the way we do. The ninja only look at his faults."

"I can relate to that." Silence fell between them for a moment. "But if we tell them, maybe they can see the truth."

"The ninja are blind, Lloyd. Mention the Sons of Garmadon to them and you'll see. We need to keep this between us."

Unease fluttered in L-loyd's chest. He didn't like keeping secrets, but he really wanted to meet his father. "If you say so."

Harumi smiled. "Thank you."

L-loyd scratched his head. Being alone with a girl like this was making him really uncomfortable. "Um. Well, I should probably see what the ninja are up to."

"Of course."

L-loyd turned to leave, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was staring at him all the way. He swallowed and shook it off. It was probably nothing.

He stepped up to the main deck, only to find it empty. L-loyd sighed. Time to do some more exploring. He glanced around and spotted what looked like the main cabin. He peeked inside and saw Nya, Jay, and Kai clustered around a large screen.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" Kai give him a glance but ignored his question.

"Hey, other Lloyd," Jay replied. L-loyd gritted his teeth, but at least Jay answered.

"You know, my name's Lloyd. Just Lloyd. Not other Lloyd. Lloyd."

Jay shrugged. "Whatever."

L-loyd sighed and joined them at the screen, but it looked blank. "What are we looking at?

"Zane's gone undercover in the Sons of Garmadon. Cole went with him, but he got captured. They're trying to find out who's in charge," Nya explained. "We're waiting for him to contact us."

L-loyd nodded slowly. "Right. So, what's so bad about the Sons of Garmadon?"

Everyone stared with him. "You're kidding," Kai said.

"They're a gang bent on bringing back Lord Garmadon! Like the evil warlord Garmadon!" Jay exclaimed. "So they can take over the city!"

Well, that was very different from what Harumi told him. "Ever thought they just want to bring Garmadon back because he's a great guy?" L-loyd suggested.

They looked at him like he was crazy. "No," Kai answered flatly.

"Look, other Lloyd," Jay started, "I don't know how things work in your world, but here, nobody ever just wants to do something just because—" His rant was cut off by a noise from the screen.

"Pixal, my cover may have been blown, but I have spotted the Mask of Deception."

"Who's Pixal?" L-loyd whispered.

"She's another nindroid," Jay hissed back. "But she got scrapped and now she runs our computer system."

Okay. That totally makes sense. A picture of bikers and ugly orange mask flashed on the screen. Harumi crept next to the group and stared the picture. She looked nervous.

"Did he say he sees the Mask of Deception?"

L-loyd glanced at Harumi. "Is that bad?"

She glared at him, but the others were too focused on Zane to notice L-loyd had ever spoken. Harumi grabbed his arm and dragged him outside.

"Careful. The others will get suspicious if you talk like that."

"But why do we have to keep this a secret? If we could just explain to them that the Sons of Garmadon isn't a criminal organization—"

"They wouldn't understand. The ninja want to stop us from bringing Garmadon back. You want to see him again don't you?"

"Of course, but it doesn't feel right."

Harumi's gaze softened and she put her hand on his shoulder. L-loyd blushed, but this time he didn't pull away. It seemed part of the princess's nature to be touchy feely, something he wasn't sure he would ever get used to.

"I understand, Lloyd, but this is the only way. Once Lord Garmadon returns, then the ninja will see the truth."

L-loyd nodded, but his stomach was still twisted in a guilty knot. "Okay."

Harumi smiled that sweet little smile of hers and took her arm away. "Now, we have to stop Zane from getting that mask."

"We do?"

She frowned. "Yes. If we destroy him…"

L-loyd gasped. "No! We can't do that! Zane's my friend!"

Harumi crossed her arms. "This isn't the Zane you know, Lloyd. He's not your friend."

Her words stung, and L-loyd flinched. "I know, but I don't want to hurt people. There has to be another way."

Harumi glanced back inside the cabin. "He knows about the Quiet One."

"But we can't just go around killing people! That's too extreme!" L-loyd protested. What was wrong with this girl?

"We wouldn't be killing him, just disabling his systems," Harumi clarified.

"That's just as bad!" L-loyd exclaimed. Honestly, what was wrong with the people in this realm?

Harumi sighed, then asked, "Alright, what do you suggest?"

L-loyd stared at the deck, deep in thought. He looked down and saw a fancy bike drop onto the ground next to Zane. It was riding and steering completely on its own until Zane jumped on board. An idea slowly began to form in his mind.

"Sabotage," L-loyd answered. "We hack the AI system in the bike and make him fall behind, that way he can't get the mask. It'll look like an error in the mechanics and no one will be the wiser."

Harumi nodded. "I'll call my men right away." She turned to leave, but L-loyd stopped her.

"All we need to do is stop the bike. Nothing else," L-loyd insisted. He had to make sure that no one would get hurt, and he wasn't quite sure if he could trust her after she wanted to kill Zane.

"I understand," Harumi replied, flashing one of her sweet smiles.

L-loyd sighed but walked up to the deck and watched the action unfold. He watched Zane race after a large man who must have the mask. Soon, Zane was right on his tail, then right alongside. L-loyd bit his lip. His friend, or more accurately his friend's counterpart, would be within arm's reach of the mask.

Then, all of a sudden, Zane began to fall behind again, until he was left in a trail of dust. L-loyd breathed a sigh of relief. He was okay. Harumi listened to him.

The Bounty slowed to a stop, and L-loyd spotted a ladder on the side of the deck. He knocked it down and Zane began to climb up. The other ninja rushed onto the deck, right passed L-loyd.

"What happened?" Jay cried. "You were so close."

"There appears to have been a malfunction in the bike," Zane replied.

"Huh," Nya said. "That's odd. I built it myself."

L-loyd held his breath. Hopefully she wouldn't figure it out.

"It was a simple mistake in the transmission," Zane said. "If any other system had been damaged, it would have been a lot worse."

L-loyd smiled. Harumi really did a great job and Nya bought Zane's explanation. It was a win-win situation. All they needed now was the third mask and he could finally meet his father.

"Let's go pick up Cole," Kai said. "I don't want to leave him with the Sons of Garmadon any longer than we have to.

Soon, the team was complete again, plus one member. Cole had brought home a baby, claiming he was the key to finding the third mask.

"What's that all about?" L-loyd asked Harumi.

"The baby is wrapped in the map," she explained. "We will have to get it before they find it."

The princess frowned, and L-loyd had a sinking feeling she was planning something nasty.

"What if we got kidnapped by the Quiet One?" L-loyd suggested before she could say anything.

"Lloyd, I am the Quiet One."

"I know," L-loyd answered. "But if you can hack Pixal, we could stage a kidnapping by the Quiet One."

Harumi nodded. "Good idea. Pixal is Samurai X—"

"Who?"

"A vigilante who rides around in a giant mech," she explained. "I can hack into her systems, and then we can be 'kidnapped'. I'll be with the baby, using my 'maternal instincts', when the rogue mech will break onto the Bounty. I will be helpless, of course, and when Samurai X is about to escape, you will jump after me like the good hero you are. And if the others follow us, the baby and I can be hostages."

L-loyd grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of L-loyd's plan? He still thinks he's doing the right thing. Things will get really interesting for he and Harumi soon…next time back to showLloyd. Thanks again to all our wonderful reviewers! Your support makes all the difference and keeps us going!


	8. Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lloyd makes a personal visit to Garmadon.

The Ninja force made their way to the warehouse and put their mechs back into their places.

"Man, that was awesome!" Kai gushed as Lloyd made his dragon disappear.

"Yeah, you totally showed Garmadon!" Nya chimed in.

"I wish we had those kinds of powers," Jay added quietly. "Without our mechs, we're nothing."

"You know," Cole addressed Lloyd, "you really could have done a lot more to stop Garmadon for good," he pointed out as he lazily leaned against a jukebox.

Lloyd frowned. "Well, yeah, I guess I could have. But I-"

"Hello, students," Master Wu greeted, stopping Lloyd from finishing.

"Master Wu!" they all chorused.

"Did you see what Lloyd did to Garmadon?" Nya asked.

"He totally vanquished him," Zane said.

"Yeah, it was like, 'Bam!' He totally destroyed his mech with one blast of energy!" Kai put in.

"I saw your fight," Master Wu answered, "and I saw Garmadon retreat, but you did not defeat him."

"What?" They all complained.

"What are you talking about?" Jay asked.

"You will never be able to truly defeat Garmadon, until you are able to do what this Lloyd can," Wu told them, gesturing to Lloyd.

"You mean use powers?" Cole asked.

"Yes. Use your minds and unlock your Elemental powers you were all born with," Master Wu told them. "Then you won't need mechs and machines to fight the battle. It's because of these powers, that I choose you all to form the Secret Ninja force."

Lloyd already knew about unlocking Elemental powers, but it found it interesting that the ninja of this world had the potential to unlock them too.

Wu went on to show them each what kind of power they could each unlock. "Students, you should learn from this Lloyd about unlocking your potential. It's the highest level you can achieve," Wu told them. "And he's found it."

They turned to look at Lloyd expectantly.

Suddenly, Lloyd felt very much on the spot. "Uh...I guess I can tell you how I unlocked my power," the blonde began. He then told him the story of how he was chosen by the golden weapons, which had the elemental powers in them, and he became the green ninja. His friends had then began to train him in their elements and overtime, he was able to produce fire, water, ice and lightning. It eventually manifested itself into green energy which seemed to be the culmination of the elements combined. It hadn't taken him long at all before he was able to use it, but it did take longer to be able to control the power.

"From what I heard from my friends as to how they unlocked their true potential was that they had to find out what was holding them back in their heart," Lloyd finished.

Master Wu stroked his beard. "That's similar to what I wrote in my book 'Ninjanuity.' I had said that you must find your inner piece."

"Then that's what we'll do," Kai said determined and the others agreed.

"Um," the teen started to ask Wu. "Is it alright if I call you Master Wu?"

"Of course," Wu answered.

"Okay, Master Wu, I was wondering if I could talk to you, in private?"

The others looked curious at this. What would Lloyd 2.0 want to talk to their master about in private?

"Certainly," Wu answered Lloyd. "Students, you can start by practicing spinjitzu...for three hours," he told them.

"Aw man!" they all groaned.

Lloyd felt a little bad for them. He remembered what it was like to train for long periods of time.

The pair left the other Ninja and walked back to the Bounty, where Lloyd had an unobstructed view of the massive volcano across the water.

"When I was fighting Garmadon, he said he was going to come back with something big," Lloyd told the Ninja Master. "I know I'm not really part of this world, but I since I am here, I feel responsible to try and protect Ninjago."

"I understand how you feel, Lloyd. I too feel responsible to help protect Ninjago. However, I know I won't always be around, because I'm quite old now. That's the other reason why I formed the Secret Ninja force, so they can continue on with protecting the city from the forces of evil long after I'm gone," Wu explained.

Lloyd remembered that his uncle had said something similar about being too old. "Well, all the more reason, I feel the need to help. I want to confront Garmadon and try to stop him before he comes back," Lloyd said. "Cole said that with my power, I could stop him once and for all. And I've been thinking that is what I should do."

"That's admirable, Lloyd, but I don't think it's wise to go off to Garmadon's lair by yourself. He may not have powers, but he should not be underestimated," Wu told the teen.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing," Lloyd insisted. "Maybe I was brought here for a reason, and this could be it! I really didn't make a difference in the city and if I can now then I want to do it! At least I could find out what he's up to."

Wu sighed deeply. "This goes against my better judgement, but very well. However, be on your guard. Garmadon's lair is heavily guarded, and not just by his army," he told the teen cryptically. "He is a ruthless man, who fires his generals out of his volcano."

Lloyd swallowed hard. It was hard to imagine his father ever doing something like that. Even when he was evil, he wouldn't have done that...he didn't think so, anyway.

"I'll be careful," Lloyd promised. "Do you have a sword I could use?"

"Yes." Wu left and took a sword from his many weapons that he had in his dojo. He came back and handed it to Lloyd.

"Thanks." Lloyd then summoned his energy and produced his dragon and took off.

"Good luck," Wu said quietly as he watched the blonde fly off to the unknown.

The Ninja came back to the Bounty and only found Wu there.

"Where's Lloyd 2.0?" Jay asked.

"He left to confront Garmadon," Wu answered, in a serious tone.

"He what?!" Kai exclaimed. "Is he suicidal?"

"He wanted to try and stop him before he could come back to the city again," Wu told them.

"I know we didn't know him that long, but man," Cole whistled.

"His chance of survival is about 5%," Zane put in.

Wu turned to face them. "Even more reason for you students to unlock your powers. It doesn't matter that this Lloyd is not from our world. He's fighting to protect Ninjago and we should be ready to help him."

* * *

As Lloyd neared the volcano that was slowly oozing lava, and producing billowing smoke, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. He didn't tell Master Wu his other reason for going to Garmadon. He wanted to know more about this world's Garmadon. Sure, he was nothing like the father that he knew, but he found himself feeling a little curious to learn more about him. And maybe he could put a stop to all of this without a fight. Perhaps there was another way that would reveal itself.

As he got closer, he saw outcroppings of rocks poking out of the sea. The opening of the volcano looked like a giant mouth with teeth and evil flaming eyes. Why would Garmadon choose this place to be his lair? Wasn't this dangerous?

The Green Ninja flew in the main passageway, which was very narrow and had lights all around. Then he saw what looked like a hangar bay where Garmadon was keeping various mechs, and as he looked closer at the water, he saw numerous sharks swimming around. Boy, this Garmadon has a real shark obsession. He landed, dispelling his dragon. He was surprised that he hadn't seen anyone yet.

He thought it would be more heavily guarded like Wu had said.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" one of Garmadon's generals asked when he saw Lloyd. Guess there was one person here.

"Paying Lord Garmadon a visit," Lloyd answered, coming up the general who was wearing what looked like a fish bowl on his head. He took out his sword and held it in front of the man.

"Where is he?"

"He's having a mandatory staff meeting in the fireplace room, and no one can interrupt him," the General answered fearfully.

Well, that would explain why there weren't many people around. "Tell me where this fireplace room is," Lloyd demanded.

"I can't! Lord Garmadon would fire me out the volcano!" the general pleaded.

Lloyd looked up towards the opening of the volcano. If he had to take a guess, he figured that this room had to be up near the top somewhere. He tied up the General so he wouldn't alert the whole place. Then he used his airjitzu to make his way up. He passed a room with the name GIT on it and kept going.

It didn't take long to find the fireplace room as there was a large window that he could see directly into. Staying low, but peering just over the edge so he see, Lloyd noticed that some of the army was in the room, seating on little seats, over what appeared to be hot lava. He could see Garmadon talking to them, and behind the warlord was a giant fireplace with a similar, creepy looking face as the entrance of the volcano that also had hot, flowing lava behind it. There were also tons of weapons lining the walls.

The teen listened hard to what was being said.

"You! General #1. Do you want to be a follower or do you want to be a leader?" Garmadon asked.

"Uh...leader?" General #1 answered, hesitantly.

"How dare you!" The warlord said, and pushing a red button on his desk, he fired the man, who yelled, 'I meant follower' out of the volcano.

Lloyd was shocked. Wu had warned him about this, but nothing prepares you for such a thing until you actually see it. The teen watched in horror as more and more of the generals got fired as they spouted off ideas that Garmadon hated. At this point, there were hardly any left. How did Garmadon maintain his army doing things like this? And why would anyone choose to work for him?

"Oh, come on! How hard is it to come up with genius idea?" Garmadon was saying. "Anyone? Come on, speak up. This is a safe place."

Slowly inching their way up towards the front of the room, Lloyd saw some people in lab coats approaching Garmadon.

"Sir?" one of them asked.

"Nerds! You're interrupting!" Garmadon yelled, as they all cowered in fear.

"Sorry sir, but we just cooked this up in engineering," the lead tech said, showing a picture on a screen that Lloyd couldn't see.

"Give me that!" Garmadon growled. He looked it over and then with an evil smirk said, "Garmadaddy likey."

 _Did he just say, Garmadaddy?_  Lloyd thought. He watched the warlord gave orders to have whatever he had just been shown built right away. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good at all. Everyone left, just leaving Garmadon in the room alone. He made his way over to the chair in front of his lava fireplace and began toasting a marshmallow. Odd, but now was Lloyd's chance.

The teen made his way around to the entrance of the room. Using stealth, he crept slowly towards the warlord, who still has his back turned to him. He was about to make his move but froze when he heard the warlord's deep chuckle.

"Well, well, well," he turned slowly around in his chair to face Lloyd with a wicked grin, "look who decided to pay me a visit. The famous Green Ninja."

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Snap! Lloyd's in trouble now! How will he get out of this one?


	9. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L-loyd and Harumi get the third mask...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is EMPFangirl02's chapter. Enjoy!

"So, other Lloyd, what's life like in your realm?" Jay asked. Now that there was nothing pressing going on at the moment, the lightning ninja had decided to socialize with the mysterious teen from another realm.

"First of all, my name is  _Lloyd_ , and second, there's not really that much to tell. I live with my mom in a small apartment in Ninjago city, I go to highschool, and I'm secretly the Green Ninja."

"Well, I can't really call you Lloyd, because you're not really our Lloyd, you know what I mean?"

L-loyd crossed his arms and was about to reply, when Harumi came up next to him.

"Just call Lloyd by his name. How would you feel if everyone called you other Jay?"

Jay sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just, weird. Do you have a nickname or something?"

L-loyd frowned. "Um. No. Not really. I mean, my dad called me Luh-loyd once, but—"

Jay laughed. "Luh-loyd! Ha, ha! That's priceless! That's what I'm calling you from now on."

L-loyd groaned, when suddenly, a shrill cry pierced the air.

"The baby!" Jay gasped. L-loyd and Harumi shared a glance.

"Is everything ready?" he asked.

Harumi nodded.

"Then let's do this."

The princess ran to make the call, and then rushed over to take care of the baby. L-loyd walked in a little later to find her singing a creepy lullaby. Her face looked sweet enough, but what was with the spider thing?

"He'll sleep now," Harumi said.

L-loyd grinned. "I guess we'll leave the baby to you. You're a natural."

"Guys, there's something approaching off the port bow!" Nya yelled.

The ninja rushed over to see what it was, L-loyd close behind. Rain pounded on the deck, soaking their gi.

"I can't see anything in this rain," Cole said.

"I cannot detect anything," Zane agreed. "Are you sure?"

Nya ran out to join them. "I'm positive! Unless Pixal's malfunctioning…"

 _BOOM!_ Suddenly, the ship rolled to the side and everyone almost slid off the deck. L-loyd grit his teeth. Harumi didn't have to make the kidnapping this convincing. Fortunately, the ship corrected itself, and the ninja scrambled back on board. L-loyd looked around and spotted a silver mech heading for the main cabin.

"Harumi!" L-loyd yelled, doing his best to play his part. He just hoped the others bought it. He sprinted toward the cabin and saw the princess trapped in one of the mech's giant hands, and in her arms, was the map. The baby was crying the crib nearby.

"Let her go!"

"The Quiet One commands that the Princess and the child be brought back to the Sons of Garmadon."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!"

L-loyd jumped, ready to make a flying kick.

"Luh-loyd! Look out!" Jay cried. The others had caught up. Now, L-loyd really had to put his acting skills to the test. He bounced off the mech and skidded to the ground, but he leapt to his feet and threw a couple more punches.

"Enough!" The mech growled. It grabbed L-loyd with its free hand and squeezed so he couldn't escape, its metal sword pressing into his skin. He moaned. Why did Harumi make this so realistic?

"NO!" Jay screamed.

"Hang on! We'll save you!" Kai shouted.

L-loyd's heart clenched in his chest. They actually cared. Too bad this was all a set up. The arm swung until the blade was right against Harumi's throat. She cried out and blood trickled down her neck. L-loyd gasped. Was she crazy? This was supposed to be an act!

"Don't move or the princess gets it," the mech threatened.

Kai gritted his teeth and balled his fists, but he froze in his tracks. Everyone else didn't dare breathe for fear of incurring the mech's wrath. It marched to the edge of the deck.

"Don't follow us, or else." The mech pressed the sword against Harumi again. Then it jumped and they were falling through the air. Someone screamed, but the wind warped the voice beyond recognition, and then faded completely as they hurled closer and closer to the ground.

"Anytime you want to pull up!" L-loyd yelled.

"I'm trying!" She yelled. "Pixal's fighting my control!"

Great. The small machine inside the mech ejected and abandoned the two teens to their fate. L-loyd squeezed his eyes shut and hoped with all his might that he wasn't about to become a pancake.

Engines roared in his ears and L-loyd almost threw up as they suddenly began to slow down. Branches scratched his face and finally they hit the ground. The mech let go and L-loyd tumbled through the air, but he forced himself to land feet first and rolled as he landed, trying to absorb the worst of fall like Master Wu taught him.

When L-loyd stopped moving, he pulled himself to his feet. Except for feeling a little shaky, he was surprisingly okay. He turned around and saw Harumi was struggling to free herself from the mech hand.

L-loyd clambered the mech and pulled from the outside until finally they managed to pry the fingers open. Harumi slipped forward and he snatched her by the collar before she tumbled to the ground. Her pants began to rip, and he quickly pulled her next to him on the arm.

"Thanks," she said when she got her breath back.

L-loyd flushed. He hadn't even thought about it. He just acted. "It was nothing."

She scooted closer until they were almost touching. "No, really. Thank you."

L-loyd slid away, but bumped into the head of the mech. He had never really been this close to a girl before.

"Um. Your welcome?" She didn't move. L-loyd didn't want to be rude, but this was getting really uncomfortable.

He cleared his throat. "Well, we should probably get moving." He grabbed the mech and began to slide down, but then stopped. "You coming?" He asked Harumi. He knew she was a princess, so would she even be able to get down?

She blinked. "Oh, yes of course." She grabbed the end of the arm, dangled down, the just dropped. Whoa.

L-loyd joined her and together they began to follow the map and work their way through the jungle. "So where do you learn to do that?"

Harumi blushed. "Do what?"

"You just dropped ten feet like it was nothing. Is that part of training to be a princess, or what?"

"Oh, that." She looked away.

L-loyd frowned. "It isn't that big of deal. I just thought it was cool." If the princess wanted to keep secrets that was fine with him. They just met a few days ago, he didn't expect her to tell him everything.

Harumi stopped and glanced at him. "You thought that was...cool?"

L-loyd shrugged. "I respect women who can take care of themselves. Nya is one of my best friends, and she is super independent. Also, my mom is a single mother and she had to work really hard to take care of me."

She smiled. "I see. Well, I actually trained in secret since I was a little girl. I wanted to be strong in order to bring back Lord Garmadon."

They began walking again. "So, you really like my father, huh?"

Harumi's face turned bright red. "I wouldn't say I  _really_ like him. I just admire him, as a hero."

L-loyd laughed. She was kinda cute when she was flustered. "You just have this gleam in your eye whenever you talk about him. I can tell you respect Garmadon a lot. I can't wait to meet him."

"You will, soon. Once we have the third mask, there'll be no stopping us."

They trekked on through the jungle until they came to the river. A single boat was moored on the bank.

"Be careful. I have sent several expeditions here before, but none have ever come back," Harumi warned.

"Hopefully, we'll have better luck," L-loyd said. He stepped on the boat. "It's old, but I think I can get it working again."

He cleared some of the vines and weeds away from the boat, going so far as to swim under the boat to make sure the motor would be ready. He pulled himself back on the boat and shook himself off. It was times like this he wished Nya was here. She had a natural affinity for the water that would really come in handy. That and her giant water strider mech.

"I think that should do it. Now it's just a matter of getting it started."

Harumi grabbed the key she found and turned on the engine. It coughed to life and soon they were chugging down the river. They checked the map and saw that all that had to do was follow the current.

* * *

An hour later, a bump rocked the boat. "What was that?" Harumi asked.

L-loyd peered in the murky water. "I can't see anything." A ripple broke the surface. Against the current. "Wait!"

The boat rocked again, and this time, L-loyd barely kept his footing. "There's something in the water!" He cried.

"What?" Harumi shrieked.

Just then, A giant lobster/monster thing broke the surface. It screamed and dove back under, heading right towards them.

"Go faster!" L-loyd yelled.

Harumi jerked the accelerator, but it was still gaining. L-loyd glanced around and spotted spare boxes lying around the boat. He chucked them overboard, but the monster was still coming.

"Use your powers on it!" Harumi cried.

"Um, about that," he said hesitantly, "I don't have any."

"Seriously?" Harumi yelled. "Then how are we going to get out of here?"

L-loyd glanced around. There had to be a way to give the boat a boost. A mech he could build. Something. He glanced back, and the monster slowed down, screamed and then turned around swam the other way.

"It stopped," L-loyd said.

"We did it!" Harumi cheered.

L-loyd stared out the back of the boat. It couldn't be that easy. It was never that easy.

"Something must have scared it off," Lloyd murmured to himself. He walked back to the front of the boat. The river rushed forward into a white foaming mass, then suddenly disappeared.

"Oh no."

"What?"

"Hang on! We're going over!" L-loyd ran to the back of the boat. They wouldn't be able to fight river, but he could slow their fall. He had worked with Wu on the Bounty, maybe he could rig a booster or… or… Ugh! There was nothing here!

He glanced up at the wooden roof. Maybe he could build a buffer so the they wouldn't fall off the boat. He disconnected the top and hammered it into the deck near the back of the boat. He grabbed a pole lying on the boat.

"Harumi! Get over here!"

She stumbled over to him, and L-loyd put the pole across them like a seat belt. "Here goes nothing," he muttered. The bow went over the edge and they fell back against the roof. It groaned, but the wood held. The worst part is they couldn't see how far they had to go.

Cold hands clutched L-loyd's arm. He turned and saw Harumi's face was as pale as a ghost. His heart softened and put his arm around her. Then they crashed and water sprayed all around them. While the front of the boat shattered and began to sink, the back where they were at remained more or less intact. The old roof hit the water and the two teens floated peacefully.

Now that they were safe, L-loyd broke away from the princess and sat up. Her face fell, but she respected his space and sat up too.

"We made it," L-loyd said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thanks to you," Harumi replied, a familiar smile on her face. L-loyd shifted closer to the edge. Her sweetness was making him really uncomfortable.

"You think you can swim to shore?" L-loyd asked.

She nodded and together they slipped into the river and swam to shore. They collapsed on the back and L-loyd glanced up at the waterfall. "There's the temple!"

The two made their way over to the base of the waterfall, where they found a set of stairs leading inside. They jumped across, some of the steps almost crumbling under them, but finally they made it. Then they ran into a fork.

"Which door is it?" Harumi asked.

"You're asking me? You're the one who's done all the research!" L-loyd retorted. But he stared at the two doors. "Some of the steps had this symbol on it," he said, pointing to the door on the left. "Maybe we should go this way."

Harumi frowned. "But look at the water on the floor. If we break the wrong door, this all whole place will flood!"

"Do you have a better idea?" L-loyd asked.

"No, but—"

"It'll be okay," L-loyd cut her off. "Let's get this over with."

Before she could argue, L-loyd rammed his shoulder into the wall and he broke into another chamber. L-loyd grinned.

"See?" he told her, and she just shook her head. They kept going, and there was a purple mask surrounded by purple flames. L-loyd took it off.

"Alright. Now what?"

Harumi's eyes gleamed. "Now, we bring back Garmadon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens… I wanted to bring Garmadon back in this chapter, but the more I wrote the more I realized it would be better if that was a chapter all by itself. Hope you all enjoyed! We really appreciate all comments and kudos!


	10. Setup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lloyd confronts Garmadon, but it doesn't end well...

Lloyd was shocked. "H-how did you know I was here?"

Lord Garmadon smirked, showing fangs. "You don't get to be a warlord without knowing a thing or two about the ninja arts...the  _dark_ ninja arts." He took a bite out of his toasted marshmallow.

Lloyd swallowed hard. "You're a ninja?" It kind of made sense, since his father in his world was a Sensei with his own dojo. But this Garmadon was nothing like the peaceful Sensei that was his father.

"Indeed I am. I wrote the book on Ninjellence." The warlord pulled a book out of his desk and held it up for Lloyd to see. "I was hoping for a chance to demonstrate some of my sick, dark Ninja moves on the Green Ninja." He smiled wickedly at Lloyd.

Lloyd studied the warlord. There was only one way out of this room; the same way he came in. If it came down to it, he'd have to fight Garmadon off to stop him and then make his escape. He was pretty confident he could get past the shark army. But that was a last resort. He wanted to talk to him first.

"I'll pass on that," the teen answered, keeping a semi-fighting pose in case the warlord suddenly charged him.

"You talk as if you have a choice. What makes you think I'm going to let you leave here?" Garmadon asked, standing up from his desk and walking around to the front of it, crossing his upper two arms across his chest.

Maybe coming here and talking to Garmadon had been a mistake. But Lloyd had his powers and from what he had been told, Garmadon didn't have any.

"I can't let you conquer Ninjago. I don't know what kind of attack you're planning, but I will stop you here and now if I have to," Lloyd told him.

Garmadon let out a huge laugh. "You and what army, kid? You came alone, which was your biggest mistake."

"I stopped you in Ninjago with one blast of my power. I can do it again!" Lloyd warned him. This was not going according to plan. He was hoping he could reason with the warlord, or least learn what he was planning.

"I'll admit that you caught me off guard in the city, but I have to correct you on a major point-you didn't stop me. I'm still here, and you're on my turf now," Garmadon told him in smug tone. "I have the advantage."

"I'll show you advantage!" Lloyd shouted, summoning his power. He noticed immediately that something was wrong, and he couldn't form his green energy. He tried again and again. What was going on?

The warlord noticed the Green Ninja's struggle and came to stand in front of him.

"Having trouble with something?" he asked smugly.

"My power...I can't access it," Lloyd answered, feeling fear grip him.

"Ah, yes. A precaution that I took care of recently," Garmadon told Lloyd has he circled around him like a lion. "You see, I coated the critical areas of my volcano with vengestone."

"What?" Lloyd gasped. "How do you know about that? That's from…" he trailed off. The warlord didn't know he wasn't the Green Ninja from this world.

"I know what my idiot brother has been teaching those ninja brats-about unlocking their elemental powers so they can stop me. From what I saw you do earlier, you must have unlocked yours already. So, I had my Nerds do some research on what I could do if any of you decided to be foolish enough to attack me here. Great thing about vengestone and what it does to elemental powers, don't you think?" Garmadon grinned, showing teeth.

Lloyd felt panicked. Without his powers, he couldn't fight Garmadon at all. He was helpless, unless he could somehow manage to defeat the warlord in hand to hand combat, which seemed to be his only option now.

The teen quickly pulled his sword from its sheath and lunged at the warlord. Garmadon turned to the side just as quickly and mysteriously pulled out four swords of his own. They clashed weapons, and then the warlord took a swipe with one sword aimed at Lloyd's feet. Lloyd jumped to avoid the strike. He made his own counter strike, aiming to try and disarm his opponent. It was much harder fighting someone who had four arms, and without the use of his powers.

Lloyd tried a series of quick jabs and managed to knock one sword out of Garmadon's hand, but he still had three more. Focusing on the remaining swords, Lloyd missed the warlord perform a sidekick that suddenly knocked the teen backwards. He managed to keep his balance, but barely. He charged again, using both his sword and his ninjitsu and managed to get rid of another sword.

Garmadon smirked at him. "Not bad, kid. You've held out longer than anyone I've fought before, except for one person. But I'm done playing with you."

Before Lloyd knew what was happening, Garmadon disarmed him completely and had him pinned to the floor.

"Ah, that was exhilarating. I've been longing for a good fight," the warlord grinned at the teen. "Now, I'd really like to see who's under the mask." He put the tip of one of his swords under the edge of Lloyd's mask.

"No! Wait!" Lloyd had been told that this Garmadon didn't know his son was the Green Ninja. Too late. His mask was off before he could stop the warlord.

There was a long pause and then… "La-loyd?"

_La-loyd?_ The teen thought, confused. "It's pronounced Lloyd. The second "L" is silent," he corrected.

Garmadon shook his head. "L-l-o-y-d. I named you. I can't believe you're the Green Ninja. I did not expect that. However, given what your mother was, I guess I shouldn't be totally surprised, but this changes everything."

_Okay, this is getting weird,_ Lloyd thought as Garmadon sheathed his remaining swords and then started to pace the room and mumble out loud. The teen shook his head and slowly got up.

"Listen, there's something that you need to know," he started. The warlord stopped pacing to look at him.

"You want to join forces with me and conquer Ninjago together, right? I always hoped you'd come around eventually!" Garmadon came over and gave Lloyd a four-armed hug that lifted him up off the floor.

The teen thought he would be crushed. "Uh...can't breathe!"

Garmadon dropped him instantly. "Ow," Lloyd complained, but the warlord wasn't listening.

"Ah, I've waited so long for this day! To rule Ninjago together as father and General #1!"

"That's not-" Lloyd started to say and then stopped. "Wait, did you just say, General #1?"

Garmadon didn't hear him, he just kept on talking as if Lloyd hadn't even said anything.

"I'll have to get you your own mech. Shark themed, of course. I'll finally have a competent General for once. This is so great!" he continued on his excited ramble. "I'll teach you how to conquer the city and oh, there is so much to do!"

"Stop!" Lloyd interrupted him loudly. Honestly, it was so hard to have a conversation with this Garmadon. "I'm not your son!"

"Wait...what did you just say?" This stopped Garmadon in his tracks.

"I know I look just like him, but I'm not your Lloyd. I'm...from another realm. I know it sounds crazy, and I still don't understand how I ended up here."

Garmadon laughed. "You have pretty wild imagination, kid."

"It's true and I can prove it," Lloyd told him. "Ask me something that only your Lloyd would know."

Garmadon thought for a minute. "Well, since now I know that my son is the legendary Green Ninja, then you should know what I tried the last time I attacked Ninjago and what he and his little band of ninja nerds did to thwart me."

Lloyd shrugged. "I have no idea."

The warlord blinked. "Interesting. It was pretty memorable," he answered. Lloyd was now curious about that statement. But then the warlord came up to him and inspected him very closely. The blonde suddenly felt nervous. How would Garmadon treat him if he wasn't his real son? He had no reason to show him mercy. This could get dangerous.

"You're really not my son, are you?" he asked.

"No, I'm not," Lloyd admitted.

"Now that I think about it, your voice is different and your gi is not the same either," he observed, giving Lloyd's gi a tug. Lloyd shuddered. The warlord had no respect for personal space. Suddenly, he was right up in Lloyd's face, giving him a calculated look. "So, where's my son?"

"He...he's in my realm as best as we can tell," Lloyd answered, trying to hide his fear.

"We?" The warlord repeated.

"I met Master Wu and that is what he concluded," Lloyd told him.

Garmadon stepped back slightly and rubbed his top two hands together. "This is quite an unexpected turn of events. But I'm always one for taking advantage of a favorable situation."

"What do you mean?" the teen asked.

"The Ninja are without their fearless leader, so there is no one to stop me from conquering Ninjago once and for all!" Garmadon told him proudly. "And I have a way to deal with my stupid brother too." He suddenly reached out and took a hold of Lloyd before he could react, and spun him around, keeping him secure with his four arms.

"You can't!" Lloyd tried to get out of the warlord's grasp, but it was impossible.

"Watch me," Garmadon told him in low voice.

Lloyd swallowed hard. What had he done?

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, things just went from bad to worse here for poor Lloyd. I decided to use vengestone in this universe, cause why not? I made Garmadon a bit smarter too-cause I felt like it. It's an AU and it fit what I wanted to do. Also, I can't write a fight scene to save my life, so I kept it short. Thanks to all you who comment and leave kudos! We are truly honored and hope you continue to enjoy! Next time will be EMPFangirl02's chapter-it will get very interesting!


	11. Savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L-loyd and Harumi bring Garmadon back...will all be what it seems?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is EMPFangirl02's chapter-Enjoy!

"Arise, Lord Garmadon!" Harumi shouted. She and L-loyd had come back to the Temple of Resurrection, and with all three masks, they began the Resurrection ceremony. The masks glowed and the wind whipped into a vortex, almost driving L-loyd backwards.

He couldn't believe this was actually happening. He was going to meet his father, but this time as a hero. It almost seemed too good to be true, but after spending so much time with Harumi, it was clear she admired him. The princess had to believe in him for a reason, right?

A dark hole rimmed with purple flames opened up above them. A deep raspy voice echoed from it. "Who calls me?" it asked.

"It is I, Harumi!" She yelled. "Follow my voice! Become mortal again!"

"Ha...ru...mi?" he asked.

L-loyd glanced Harumi, but she only had eyes for the portal. He assumed she knew what she was doing, but at the same time, if he was Garmadon, he wouldn't want to follow some random stranger's voice just because they said so.

He cleared his throat and shouted as loud as he could, "And Lloyd, your—" L-loyd's voice died in his throat. He swallowed and tried again. "Your son. Ninjago needs you— I-I need you. Come back!"

Harumi glared at him. "Let me handle this," she hissed. "I've planned Garmadon's return for years and—"

"My… son?" Garmadon asked.

"Yes... Dad," L-loyd said, stepping next to Harumi. "I'm here."

"Follow our voices," Harumi yelled, shooting another killer glance at L-loyd. "Become mortal once again!"

The portal shuddered and disappeared. L-loyd gaped and Harumi fell to her knees.

"What just happened?" L-loyd asked. "Did we fail?"

"No," she muttered. "It can't be."

Suddenly, the altar in front of them burst into purple flames.

"Uh… Is it supposed to do that?" L-loyd asked Harumi.

Before she could answer, the top of the altar shattered, and a black arm broke through. It gripped the side and slowly, and a tall, dark man with four arms pulled himself up. L-loyd swallowed. He looked exactly like the Garmadon from his world, same red eyes, same warlord outfit, even the wrinkles on his face were the same.

Harumi quickly stood up and ran to him. "Lord Garmadon," she said. "Let me, Harumi, the person who brought you back, be the first to welcome you to Ninjago."

Garmadon stared down at her. "You... brought me back?"

She bowed. "Indeed. Ninjago needs you, but first, we must return you to your full strength."

"How?" Garmadon asked.

Harumi smirked. "Follow me."

She straightened and left the Temple of Resurrection, Garmadon at her heels. L-loyd trailed after them in a daze. He couldn't believe this Garmadon looked so similar but acted so different. He wondered if finally, after all this time, he would actually have a real father in his life.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the gang's headquarters. Harumi turned towards Garmadon. "My Lord, it will take some time to prepare for you. Wait here, and we will make you stronger than ever."

Garmadon glowered, but he didn't move when Harumi disappeared into one of the many black tunnels, leaving L-loyd and the warlord alone. L-loyd stood behind him, waiting for Garmadon to do something… anything. But he was like a statue, waiting, just like Harumi ordered.

L-loyd took a deep breath. This was it. Time to go talk to his dad. Actually talk to him, not just hero/villain banter. An actual father/son conversation. L-loyd walked up next to his dad.

"Hey," he said slowly, and Garmadon jumped. Four hands flew to L-loyd's throat, and suddenly he couldn't breathe.

"F-father…" L-loyd rasped, and suddenly Garmadon dropped him, and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath. That did not go as planned.

"Son?" Garmadon asked, and L-loyd stared up at his father.

"Yeah, I'm your son, or at least, I'm your son from another realm," he replied at last.

Garmadon tilted his head. "Another… realm?"

L-loyd nodded. "I come from another version of Ninjago."

"And I am your father in this… other Ninjago?"

"Yes, but, um, you kind of left me and my mom and decided to conquer our city instead," L-loyd trailed off.

Garmadon frowned. "I left?"

"In my world, but, uh," L-loyd pushed himself up to his feet and took a deep breath. "You're here now, and I was kinda hoping… you'd be my dad."

"Your dad?" Garmadon asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," L-loyd said. "A dad, you know, someone to be there for me, teach me how to be an adult…" he trailed off and cleared his throat. "So, what do you say?"

The warlord blinked slowly, staying silent as the grave. L-loyd held his breath.  _Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes,_ he begged silently.

Finally, Garmadon straightened. "I will be your 'dad', and you will be at my side while I rule Ninjago."

L-loyd grinned. That was a great start. He wasn't sure about the whole ruling Ninjago part, but maybe his dad had that mixed up with saving it.

"Thank you! Thank you so, so much! You have no idea how much this means to me!"

Garmadon tried to match L-loyd's smile, but it came off as more evil than anything. L-loyd didn't care. He was going to have a real dad. L-loyd threw his arms around his father and squeezed him tight.

"Thank you," he whispered into his father's chest.

Garmadon immediately began to pull away. "What is this?" he demanded. "A way to crush your enemies?"

L-loyd quickly backed away from his dad, before he decided to choke him again. "No, it's called a hug. You, uh…you know," L-loyd tried. Surely in his other life Garmadon had been hugged before.

From the look on his face, he clearly hadn't or had forgotten all about it. "No, I don't know," Garmadon replied. "Enlighten me."

"Well…" L-loyd began. "It's what you do...when you care about someone, and you want to express that. So, you put your arms around them and hold them firmly, and if you really want, you can give them a squeeze, to show more affection," L-loyd explained slowly.

Garmadon nodded. "I see."

He stepped toward L-loyd and wrapped all four arms around him and picked him up, squeezing him tighter and tighter. L-loyd heard his back crack and wondered if his ribs would do the same.

"You can let go now," he gasped.

Garmadon drew his arms back and L-loyd fell to the ground for the second time, once again panting for breath.  _Wow,_ L-loyd thought,  _not even Zane's hugs were that tight!_

Garmadon noticed his son's distress. "I thought a crushing hug demonstrated more affection," he said.

L-loyd sighed.  _Well, at least he was trying,_  he thought. That was more than he could say for his real father back home.

"It can, but you don't want to hurt the person. That kinda defeats the purpose. Go for firm, not bone crushing," L-loyd explained. "And if you're going to pick the person up, try to be gentle and support them. It feels a lot better."

Garmadon nodded and came forward again. This time, he slowly began to wrap his arms around L-loyd, two across the chest, and two closer to waist, so when he picked him up, this time it didn't hurt at all. L-loyd closed his eyes and leaned against his father. This is what he'd been missing all these years.

His father was strong, and warm, his four arms holding him tight, but not too hard. For the first time in a long time, L-loyd felt safe, like all the cares of the world had melted away. He and his father were together now and nothing else mattered.

"My Lord?" Harumi asked, breaking the moment. Garmadon quickly set L-loyd down and marched over to her, once again a proud warlord in front of his general. L-loyd sighed, but he tried to remind himself that Garmadon promised to be his dad. They just had to save Ninjago first.

L-loyd followed Garmadon and half listened as Harumi spouted her grand plans for him. He would spar with some of her men, regain his strength, reform Ninjago into a better city, etc.

"My son?" Garmadon asked suddenly. "Is something the matter?"

Harumi froze and slowly turned to glare at L-loyd, who broke away from his slumping position against the wall.

"What? No. Nothing's wrong," L-loyd answered quickly. "Get stronger, become Ninjago's savior, totally on board with that."

Garmadon frowned. "But?" he prompted.

L-loyd glanced at Harumi and she looked like she was going to murder him if he said anything against her agenda. Not that he would. He was all for saving Ninjago, he just wanted to spend time with his dad.

"It's nothing," L-loyd said at last. "Go train." He mustered a smile, but the warlord wasn't buying it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," L-loyd said, nodding for emphasis. "And when you get back, we can spend some quality father/son time."

Garmadon lips curled slightly. "I'd like that."

Harumi glanced between them, glaring all the while. It was clear she didn't like sharing Garmadon's attention.

"My Lord," she interrupted. "Your training awaits."

The princess walked away, gesturing for Garmadon to follow, but this time, the warlord paused before blindly going after her.

"I would like my son to be with me while I train," he announced.

"My Lord," Harumi began slowly. "I don't think that—"

"That's not a request," he said firmly. L-loyd grinned. He and his dad were finally going to spend time together. It may not be the game of catch he had always dreamed of, but it was a good start.

Harumi glowered, but she dropped into a stiff bow. "Of course, my Lord. It shall be as you command."

Garmadon smiled at his son, and this time, L-loyd could see the real warmth behind it. He practically glowed. He finally had a real dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor L-loyd, he's so desperate for a dad, he's not seeing Harumi's plot. Hope you enjoyed the father/son fluff. The idea is that when Garmadon returned, he imprinted on both Harumi and L-loyd. He came back as an empty vessel that got filled with them both, whereas in the show, it was just Harumi. Garmadon is learning everything like he did in Season 10. Part of movie Lloyd's power is being able to bring people together and have a good influence. Thanks for your comments!


	12. Superficial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garmadon conquers Ninjago...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short and similar to the movie, but next show Lloyd chapter will start a chain of different events, so please bear with me. It has a purpose and it's getting there...Onwards!

 

After securing Lloyd with vengestone cuffs, Garmadon had the teen accompany him to where he said the 'something big, 'something wicked' and 'something with some pizzazz' was being kept.

As it came into view, Lloyd couldn't help but gasp at the tall, menacing looking, shark themed mech. (what was it with sharks and this Garmadon, anyway?) It had teeth like a shark's mouth at the opening, and for one of the hands, it contained a gun where live sharks in a tank on the mech could be shot out of it. The armor on it looked pretty tough against any weapons too.

"Whadda think, Green Ninja? I call it the Garma-Mech Man," the warlord let out a huge laugh. "With this thing, I'll be totally unstoppable!"

"You don't have to do this!" Lloyd protested as he was forced onto the mech. Garmadon climbed in next to him.

"Oh, but I really do. Ninjago will be mine, once and for all!" With that, the pair proceeded to submerge into the water with the Shark Army closely following in their mechs, and headed towards the beach where the unsuspecting citizens of Ninjago were enjoying themselves. Just like a shark, all that could be seen above the water was a fin that was on top of the mech with the letter 'G.'

Garmadon gave orders for half his army to attack his brother on the Bounty and keep him busy long enough for him to take over Ninjago, while the other half took out police force and coast guard. His plan was fool proof, with no one to stop him this time.

Lloyd watched helplessly as Garmadon emerged and started taunting the poor people down below, as they scrambled to run away for their lives. The giant mech crushed the Welcome to Ninjago sign easily with one foot.

"Breaking news! Garmadon is attacking the city in a never before seen mech!" Robin Roberts reported from GMN TV.

Everyone was running and screaming as Garmadon randomly fired off his sharks at them. "Aw, you all came out to greet me? Don't run away!" He told them as he smashed a hot dog stand.

"The Ninja are going to have their hands full with this thing!" Robin commented.

Lloyd so badly wanted to help them. This was all his fault. Maybe the other ninja would be able to stop Garmadon. Just then, the teen spotted the familiar mechs of the ninja coming towards them.

"Well, hello, Ninja!" the warlord greeted.

Lloyd watched as they fired off their weapons, but they only bounced harmlessly off the mech.

Garmadon laughed. "Your weapons are powerless against my new mech. And, look what I have here!" Lloyd was grabbed and brought forward so the ninja could see him.

"He has Lloyd 2.0!" Jay told the others.

Lloyd felt ashamed to be caught in this predicament. All he had wanted to do was help and now look what had happened. He had only succeeded in making things worse.

"You can watch me climb to the top of Ninjago tower and finally conquer this city! Generals-stop those ninja from getting in my way!" Garmadon commanded as he proceeded to head towards the said tower.

The Ninja soon found themselves having to fight off Garmadon's army.

"Our Lloyd would be really beneficial right now," Kai said as he started fending off the army with his fire.

"Can't anyone stop Garmadon?" Nya asked as she blasted some generals with her water mech.

"Our only hope is Master Wu," Cole said as he was also busy fighting off the army goons. Zane was in the same predicament. It seemed that the warlord was really going to win this time and there wasn't anything they could do to stop him.

"It looks like the police, the army and the coast guard are all rendered useless against Garmadon's forces," Michael Strayhand reported as Garmadon stepped over the road, smashing some cars as he crossed over.

"Look at me go!" Garmadon exclaimed upon reaching Ninjago Tower. He began his long climb up. When he reached halfway up the tower, he noticed he was getting short of breath. The controls inside the mech were designed like an Elliptical machine.

"I'll have to have a talk with the Nerds about this design flaw," he said huffing.

As the warlord came to a window where he saw people were working, he decided to break the window. "Who wants a shark?" he asked, as he fired off some live sharks through the opening. "You get a shark and you get a shark."

Lloyd watched in horror as the sharks starting chasing people as they desperately tried to get away.

"Why are you doing that to innocent people?" the teen asked the warlord as he continued his climb once more.

"Because it's fun!" Garmadon answered as if it should be obvious. Lloyd frowned. He did not understand this Garmadon's idea of 'fun'.

Finally, they reached the top of the tower. Lloyd saw a woman and her bodyguards hastily make it into a helicopter as Garmadon descended on them. They just got away.

Lloyd assumed that was the mayor he had heard about earlier.

"Hey, Ninjago!" Garmadon called out.

"Oh, that's bad," said Michael on GMN.

"Garmadon is conquering Ninjago," Robin added, as they both watched Garmadon knock over Ninjago City's flag on top of the tower and replace it with his own flag with a huge letter 'G' and crossbones on it.

Garmadon pulled Lloyd towards him once more and made sure the teen could be seen on the screens throughout the city. His nerds had long since learned how to hack into the TV systems.

"See what happened to your 'hero', Ninjago." The camera zoomed in on Lloyd's stunned face for everyone to see. He wished he could just disappear.

"Robin, this is a day that will live in infamy," Michael commented.

"The Green Ninja is Lloyd Garmadon?" Someone asked. "I never saw that coming."

"What will we do now?" a woman asked.

"Where are the Ninja?" another person complained.

Satisfied, Garmadon let go of Lloyd and threw his mech's arms up in the air in victory.

"Woah! I've done it! I'm finally the ruler of Ninjago, forever and ever!" He let out a maniacal laugh, as he launched a few of his sharks straight up into the air. "I win!"

Lloyd couldn't stay silent any longer. "So, tell me, Garmadon. Now that you've conquered Ninjago, what will you do?"

Garmadon stopped laughing. He had waited for this moment for so long. He had dreamed about, planned it, tried to conquer the city so many times, and now...

Lloyd peered up into Garmadon's red eyes after he had gone quiet. From what little he knew of this Garmadon, it wasn't like him to be silent. And was that a flicker of sadness that he caught on the warlord's face? It was gone before Lloyd could really tell.

"I'm going to rule this city like it was always meant to ruled, of course," the warlord answered smugly, going back to the confident persona. "Starting with making the citizens of Ninjago work for me!" He spoke into his radio and gave orders to his generals for everyone to be rounded up and forced to work for the Shark army.

Garmadon took Lloyd and they got out of the mech. Some of the army was there to greet him.

"Awesome job, sir!" they cheered as they high fived the warlord, as Lloyd was led along. He felt totally defeated. Some protector he turned out to be. He turned to face the warlord.

"What are you going to do with me?"

Garmadon looked over at the teen. He looked practically identical to his son; it was hard to believe. Because of that, he just couldn't bring himself to do any real harm to him. Besides, it would be way more satisfying to keep him as his prisoner. Ninjago didn't know he wasn't the real Green Ninja, and the kid would be great leverage in case anyone got any funny ideas of trying to play hero.

"You'll remain my prisoner," the warlord answered. "I can't have you galavanting around Ninjago now, can I?"

Lloyd clenched his fists. "You won't get away with this," he answered trying to sound more confident than he felt.

"Really? That's the best line you've got? That's so cliché. You really need some new lines, kid," Garmadon said with a chuckle.

Lloyd listened as the warlord spoke to the generals who were standing nearby.

"Generals! Make arrangements to bring my volcanic lair over. I want it placed on top of Ninjago tower and…" the warlord turned and gave Lloyd a victorious smirk. "...bring out that victory cake. We're having a party!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Garmadon to conquer the city in a similar way, cause I felt like it. But have no fear, the plot will take a different turn in the next show Lloyd chapter, then things will really get interesting. Thank you for all the comments and kudos.


	13. Stronger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lloyd wises up to Harumi...but is it too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EMPFangirl02's chapter.

"Good, my Lord," Harumi complemented as Garmadon decimated the goons she had laid before him. He knocked the last one to the ground and turned to face the princess.

"Your strength is returning, but now it's time for you to reach your true potential. Your dark potential."

"Harumi!" L-loyd hissed. "You never said anything about dark potential. Garmadon's a hero, not a villain."

She sighed. "Yes, but his element is  _destruction_. By nature, his powers and his potential will be dark," Harumi spoke slowly, like L-loyd was a child who couldn't understand anything.

"So, what does that mean for Ninjago?" L-loyd demanded. "Garmadon's not going to destroy the city, is he?"

Harumi shook her head and gave L-loyd a plastic smile. "Of course not. We are going to reform Ninjago into the city it was always meant to be."

But L-loyd wasn't quite so sure. Everything the princess did had a violent edge to it, and he didn't think she was going to stop at 'reforming' Ninjago.

Garmadon watched the exchange carefully, ready to step in if his son wished. L-loyd stared long and hard at Harumi, but finally, he leaned back and let her speak. However, L-loyd was far from done. He and the princess were going to have a serious talk after this, and he was going to get to the bottom of whatever was going on in Harumi's twisted mind.

"As I was saying my Lord, you must reach your true potential. Prove your strength. Defeat the ninja that threaten your power."

L-loyd gaped. "You can't be serious! The ninja haven't done anything!"

Harumi glared at him. "Have you forgotten? The ninja tried to stop us from bring back Lord Garmadon, your father. It's time to show them how wrong they were."

L-loyd shook his head. "This isn't the way to do it! Harumi, listen to me!"

"Oh, Lloyd," she answered, shaking her head. "You're so naive. In this world, people only listen to power."

L-loyd opened his mouth to argue but Garmadon cut him off. "Tell me where they are, and I will crush them."

Harumi smirked and L-loyd realized he had lost. His heart sunk. It seemed that this Garmadon and his father had more than looks in common. Both had a desire for power and conquest.

"I won't have to," Harumi answered. "They'll come to you."

Garmadon smiled. "Very good."

She bowed and left the room, L-loyd right on her heels.

"Son?" the warlord asked.

L-loyd froze in the doorway. "Um. Why don't you train some more? I really need to talk to Harumi."

Garmadon nodded slowly, disappointment clouding his eyes. L-loyd's heart twinged, but he had to straighten a few things out with the princess.

He marched into the hallway, and after glancing around, he spotted her slipping down a passage to the left. He jogged after her, but when he got into the corridor, Harumi was gone, and he was left staring at a blank wall. L-loyd growled. Where did she go?

He stared at the wall, when he realized something. The bricks were cracked in a uniform line, there were scratch marks on the floor, and one of the stones stuck out more than the others. L-loyd grinned. Bingo. He pressed the stone and the wall slid to the left, revealing Harumi, bent over a table, staring at something.

"We need to talk," L-loyd said, stepping inside the hidden room.

Harumi jumped and hid something behind her back. "Lloyd! I didn't expect to see you here." She pressed a button on the table and the wall slid back into place.

L-loyd crossed his arms. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. You made it pretty obvious."

Harumi leaned against the table and snorted. "Oh, did I?"

"Yeah, but I'm not here to talk about your terrible hiding place," L-loyd answered. "You're planning something, and I want to know what."

Harumi chuckled nervously, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "What are you talking about, Lloyd? I only want what's best for Ninjago."

"Uh huh. Sure. That's why you manipulated Garmadon into attacking the ninja for no reason. They're hero's too, you know."

Harumi glowered. "No, they're not! You have no idea what they've done!" She yelled.

L-loyd blinked. "What did they do?"

"They stood by while the Great Devourer tore up Ninjago," she replied. "And now, they'll pay."

"Harumi, I don't know what happened with the Great Devourer, but this isn't the way. You can't just hurt people because they made a mistake," L-loyd pleaded.

"Yes, I can," she snapped. "I going to take everything away from them, just like they took everything from me."

So, that's what's this was all about. "What was taken from you?" L-loyd asked.

Harumi reached behind her and pulled out an old photograph. "My family," she whispered softly. "My parents were everything to me, but then the Great Devourer came and…" her voice broke. "Now they're gone, and all because of the ninja," she finished quietly.

L-loyd walked next to her and took her hand. She stared down at his hand, then up at his face.

He cleared his throat, but he didn't let go. "Look, Harumi, I'm really sorry about your parents, but hurting the ninja isn't going to bring them back."

Harumi broke away from L-loyd's grip and backed away. "I know that," she answered coldly. "I just want them to feel what I feel. To know the pain of losing everything you love."

"Why?" L-loyd asked.

"So they'll never hurt anyone else again," Harumi answered. "Garmadon was the real hero that day, putting an end to the Great Devourer. He's the rightful ruler of Ninjago."

"You sure?" he pressed. "Because if you really don't want anyone else to get hurt, then don't attack the ninja. Talk to them. Prove to them you're not the enemy. Show them were they went wrong so we can make it right."

Harumi shook her slowly. "It's too late."

L-loyd growled. "No, it's not! Break the cycle! You can end all the pain, right here, right now. Let's just back down and talk it out."

"No, Lloyd. The ninja will never learn unless they are shown the truth."

"Well then be the bigger person. You can be stronger than them, Harumi. I can help you. We'll work it out together, just please, don't do this," L-loyd begged.

Harumi stared at Lloyd for a minute. "You're really serious, aren't you? You think I can change, just like that?"

L-loyd stepped forward, reaching out his hand once more. "I know you can change," he said. "I've seen it."

Harumi laughed bitterly. "Really?"

L-loyd nodded. "Remember when you wanted to destroy Zane? But you didn't. We found a better way that didn't involve hurting people. You trusted me then, why don't you trust me now?"

The princess sighed. "Lloyd, it's not that simple."

L-loyd frowned and dropped his hand to his side. "Is this what you really want? Because there's no going back once you've hurt them."

Harumi looked away, and silence fell between them. Finally, L-loyd spoke up. "Can we try it my way first, and if it doesn't work, then you can do what you want. Just… try it."

No answer. L-loyd stared at her, waiting for some kind of response. After what seemed like an eternity, Harumi turned back towards him. He swallowed. She opened her mouth to speak.

Right then, the whole room began rumble, knocking them off balance. L-loyd had to clutch the table to stop himself from falling, but he kept his eyes locked on Harumi. He needed to know her answer. The fate of the ninja depended on it.

Harumi wobbled, stumbling right into the table. She quickly threw her arms out to stop her fall, and her hand landed right on top of L-loyd's. Their eyes met, and when the room stopped shaking, Harumi quickly drew her hand back. Her chin wobbled and her eyes shimmered… But then she swallowed and turned her back to L-loyd.

"It's too late now," she finally answered. "They're already here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh snap-bad to worse here! Sorry this was kind of short again. Thanks again for all of you who have commented for for the kudos! You all are the best!


	14. Stirring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koko shows up and then a proposal is made.

Lloyd watched unhappily as the Shark Army celebrated Garmadon's victory of conquering the city. When the volcano was brought over, it tipped precariously over the edge of the Tower, but thankfully, it balanced itself out. There was loud music, decorative lights hung from a string, a dance floor with multi colored lights, and a juice bar. There was also a pool that generals were diving into. At the entrance to the volcano was a big sign that read, 'You did it!' The victory cake had blue ocean colored frosting, decorated with sharks, dolphins and sea urchins. Lloyd couldn't imagine what it would taste like.

Some generals were doing the conga line as they walked past Garmadon, who was wearing a party hat on one of his horns that was on his helmet. Lloyd thought it looked ridiculous, but he kept his thoughts to himself. To add insult to injury, the warlord strapped party hat to his head. The teen supposed it was to add to his humiliation and defeat and with being cuffed, he couldn't take it off.

"Whadda think, Green Ninja?" Garmadon asked the teen after snapping Lloyd's picture with the hat and posting it on his social media page, #Garmadon defeats Green Ninja and then showing it to him.

Lloyd turned away. He didn't want to satisfy the warlord with an answer. It would only encourage the egotistical warlord.

"Aw, what, nothing heroic to say to me?" the warlord jeered. When Lloyd still didn't answer, he continued. "You're a real downer at a party, kid. Maybe I ought to just string you up in place of my conquering flag."

Just then, a woman came up to the pair. She was wearing a unique costume that consisted of fins.

"Excuse me, sir. But the Generals you sent to your brother completed their mission. The Bounty has been destroyed and there is no sign of Wu."

Lloyd perked his head up at this.  _Oh no! Wu is gone?_

Garmadon rubbed his top two hands together. "Excellent. What about the Ninja brats?"

"They were last seen retreating," the woman general reported. Lloyd's face fell. That was it. He was stuck here.

The warlord grinned wickedly. "They're smarter than I gave them credit for. And if they do try anything heroic," he turned to give Lloyd a pointed look, "we have our leverage."

"Yes, sir. Is there anything else?"

Garmadon thought for a minute. "My ex, Koko, have you found her?"

_Ex?_ Lloyd wondered about that.

"Not yet, sir. But we'll search the whole city from top to bottom!" the female general promised. Suddenly, there was a loud commotion coming from the back of the volcano entrance.

"You're not on the list!"

Lloyd peered around Garmadon and saw a woman with fiery red hair, pulled back in a ponytail with what looked like chopsticks. The woman slammed down the squid looking General's clipboard. Apparently, she had a temper to match her hair color.

"Hey! That's my clipboard!" the man protested.

"Oh look! Here she is now, sir!" the female general smiled as she saw Koko.

Garmadon roughly shoved Lloyd behind him and held him with two of his arms as the red head boldly approached. With his remaining free arms, he quickly grabbed a nearby general and took his party hat and placed it on his other horn, giving the woman a playful smirk.

"Hey, Koko! Glad you could make it to the party. Quite on the chain, isn't it?" Garmadon greeted.

Lloyd was struggling to get out of Garmadon's grip _._ Why was he hiding him anyway? And how did Garmadon know this woman?

"Wipe that smile off your face, Garmadon," Koko snapped.

"Same old Kokes," Garmadon mused. "It just kills you to see me having any fun, doesn't it?"

Lloyd listened to the conversation.  _They seem to know each other well,_ he thought.  _There seems to be some kind of history between them too, and not good either. Wait! Didn't Garmadon mention something about an ex named Koko? Did that mean…?_

"Look, Garm, I came here about Lloyd," Koko started. Lloyd's eyes widened at this.  _Uh oh._

"What about him?" Garmadon asked nonchalantly, giving Lloyd a discrete kick to keep him quiet.

"What do you mean, what about him? His face was all over the TV with you! And he's the Green Ninja! Did you know about that?" she demanded.

"Of course not! Apparently, he's good at fooling us both," Garmadon scoffed.

Koko glared. "Where is he? What have you done with him?" She yelled, grabbing Garmadon by the front of his cape, and throwing him off balance. Lloyd used this chance to get out of the warlord's grip.

"Nothing, really. He's not our son anyway, so it doesn't matter," Garmadon told her with a wide grin.

"Are you serious right now, Garm? I think I know my own son when I see him!"

"You'd be surprised," Garmadon muttered under his breath.

"What did you just say?" Koko asked.

Lloyd decided to come around at this point and make his presence known. "Um, excuse me. He's talking about me."

Koko turned and looked at Lloyd, who was still cuffed. "Lloyd!" She gasped in alarm. The former warrior then turned back to Garmadon. "I can't believe you'd stoop this low, Garmadon! Let him go this instant!" Her voice was like steel.

"Wait, um, Koko, wasn't it?" Lloyd intervened between the two. He got the sense that this woman could do some major bodily harm to Garmadon, not that he could blame her.

Koko turned to face Lloyd, letting go of Garmadon who almost fell in the pool behind them. "Oh my goodness! Did he do something to make you lose your memories? I'm your mother!"

Lloyd blinked, taken aback. This woman was so different from his own mother, so much younger, and had much more...fire to her personality. But he knew he looked almost identical to this realm's Lloyd. How to explain this to her?

"I know I look just like your son, Lloyd, but I can assure you, I'm not him. I'm from another realm," Lloyd started.

"Another realm?" Koko asked, still not quite believing this youth wasn't her son.

Lloyd took a deep breath and started from the beginning and told his whole story, leading up to the present time, while Koko listened intently. Garmadon, having made a recovery, was now standing by idly, not really caring, while sipping a drink that he snatched from a passing general.

"I didn't know such a thing was possible," Koko finally said after Lloyd finished.

"It surprised me too," the teen admitted. "In my world, the only way to travel between realms was with the realm crystal. And I didn't come here that way. I still don't know exactly how I got here, but it seems that your Lloyd is in my realm."

"How do we get him back?" Koko asked, worry evident in her voice.

"I've been thinking about a theory," Lloyd began. "In my Ninjago, there's a realm called the Cloud Kingdom. The people there can write your destiny and change it. I've been wondering if someone there had something to do with me and your Lloyd swapping places. I know this all sounds crazy, but it kind of makes the most sense. The problem is, the only way to reach this realm is to go to the Wailing Alps, through the Blind Man's Eye. If there was any way to get to that realm from here, then we might be able to straighten this whole mess out. I could go back to my world, and your Lloyd could come here. But I don't know if there is a tall enough mountain in this Ninjago that be equivalent?"

"That would be The Impossible to Climb Mountains," Garmadon suddenly interjected. "And I'm not just sayin' that 'cuz some traveler fell off one time. It's 'cuz no one has ever climbed to the top and lived to tell about it."

Lloyd swallowed hard. "If that's the highest mountains, then we have to try."

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Garmadon snorted. "You're the one who needs to get back to wherever you came from."

"How could say that, Garmadon?" Koko turned on the warlord. "He may not be your actual son, but if you cared anything about our son, you'd help him." Garmadon was silent at this. Koko fumed. "Well, I'm not going to stand around here doing nothing. I'm going to find a way to make sure  _my_  son gets home, even without your help!" She stormed off the tower deck and out of the volcano.

As Garmadon watched her go, his thoughts turned inward. Was it guilt that he felt? He walked over to ledge of Ninjago Tower and looked out over the city; the one he had wanted to conquer for sixteen years. And now...he had it all...but...he shook his head. He didn't want to admit that his conquest seemed a bit empty.

Lloyd had watched the exchange with trepidation. Clearly, Koko was a force to be reckoned with. He slowly made his way over to Garmadon, and stared out at the skyline, which was still foreign to him. He didn't know to say. For what seemed like an eternity, the two stood silent, both deep in thought.

Finally, Lloyd decided that maybe the direct approach was best.

"What happened between you and Koko?" the teen asked. He wasn't sure if the warlord would even answer him. A minute passed, and Garmadon sighed.

"Too much," he answered slowly.

"Did it have to do with your son?"

The warlord frowned; his eyes lost in another time. "Yeah, it did. You see, Koko and I met on the battlefield. She was the most awesome Ninja warrior I had ever seen. We fought on opposite sides, but when our eyes met, sparks flew. We were a true power couple and I thought we were going to conquer the world together."

"Then what pulled you apart?" Lloyd asked quietly.

"One day we came upon Ninjago. La-loyd was just a baby. I told Koko that I wanted to build our son's future on the ashes of this fine city. But it was in that moment that she decided that the life of conquering warlord wasn't the life she wanted for our son, and she left with him. I could have changed...but I didn't," Garmadon finished, regret evident in his tone.

Lloyd was silent for a minute, processing what he had heard. Would that be why the warlord had wanted to conquer Ninjago? And then the story of how Garmadon and Koko got together; such a different story from his own parents meeting and getting together. Yet, he also knew the pain of abandonment.

"You could change now. It's not too late. You can help me to get back...and to get your son back. We can do it together."

"If I couldn't change then, what makes you think I can change now?" the warlord answered, with a hint of bitterness.

Lloyd frowned. "Your wife is willing to go to The Impossible to Climb Mountains and risk her life to get your son back! Forget about me, but think about other people besides yourself. Your family is a stake here!"

Garmadon slowly turned and faced the teen, his red eyes glowing and piercing right through him. Lloyd shuddered. Maybe he had gone too far?

The warlord reached out one of his four arms towards Lloyd. The teen closed his eyes, anticipating a blow or something worse, like pushing him off the tower to his death. He heard a click and opened his eyes. Much to his surprise, the warlord just undid his cuffs.

"You have a lot of guts, kid. Okay, I'll go. But don't say I didn't warn you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy! An adventure with Garmadon. How will that go? You'll find out next showLloyd chapter. Thank you so very much to those who have commented and kudos! You all are the best!


	15. STOP!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninja arrive to stop Garmadon, but it doesn't go well. Move Lloyd uses the power of Green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EMPFangirl02's chapter.

L-loyd burst outside, Harumi not far behind, and saw the Destiny's Bounty had landed right outside the Sons of Garmadon's headquarters. L-loyd froze. He didn't see the ninja anywhere… or his father. L-loyd swallowed. This didn't look good.

"Where's everyone?" he asked.

A shout broke out across the subway tunnels, followed by a loud bang and a grunt. L-loyd and Harumi shared a glance.

"Down there," she said, pointing into the darkness.

L-loyd darted past Harumi, trying to reach them before it was too late. Back home, his father didn't hesitate to destroy anything in his way to conquer Ninjago; who knows what this Garmadon will do to obtain power. L-loyd pushed himself to go faster. He couldn't let any of his friends get hurt.

Suddenly, flames and smoke billowed out of one the tunnels up ahead, and someone was thrown out right into the stone wall and flopped on the ground. His clothes were torn and dirty, but somehow, his brown hair still looked like a flame on top of his head.

L-loyd gasped. He recognized that hair anywhere.

"Kai!" L-loyd cried, sprinting to his side, but Kai didn't respond. L-loyd rolled the teen over, but Kai still didn't move. Was he breathing? L-loyd couldn't tell. He brushed his bangs out of his face and bent over his frie— his friend's counterpart.

L-loyd shook Kai's shoulders and he groaned. L-loyd laughed. "You're okay!"

Kai's eyes fluttered open. "Lloyd? I thought…"

L-loyd grinned. "I was captured by the Quiet One?"

Kai frowned. "...you were in another realm?"

L-loyd sighed. "Yes, your Lloyd is still in another realm."

"But…"

"I'm the other Lloyd, remember?" L-loyd crossed his arms and waited, while Kai blinked in confusion. Finally, all the crazy events of the last few days came flooding back, and Kai shook off his daze.

"Oh. Right."

L-loyd wished this world's Kai would take him a little more seriously. A scream pierced the air, and L-loyd turned around, but all he saw was darkness.

"What's going on?" L-loyd asked, turning back to Kai.

"We came to stop Garmadon from being resurrected, but it was too late, so then we decided to stop him before he did any damage."

L-loyd sighed. "Great. And of course, Harumi told Garmadon he needed to destroy you all—"

"Wait," Kai interrupted. "Harumi?"

"Yeah, she hates you guys. The Great Devourer killed her parents and she totally blames you for it, but that's not important. Where's Garmadon?"

"Down that way and to the left," Kai pointed. L-loyd stood up, but then he looked back at the teen.

"Will you be alright?" L-loyd asked.

Kai nodded weakly. "Go. I'll catch up."

L-loyd frowned. He still looked pretty bad, and if Harumi came along… "I don't want to leave you. What if—"

Kai grinned and summoned a small flame in his palm. "I'll be alright. Go."

L-loyd hesitated, until someone else screamed. He forced himself away from Kai and turned down the dark tunnel. The others needed him more. L-loyd broke into run and there he was. Garmadon. His hands were glowing with a purple fire, and his eyes… he looked pure evil.

L-loyd's heart broke. And here he was hoping to find a father. Someone who'd be a hero.

"Luh-loyd! You came!" Jay cried, waving his hand in almost childish excitement. L-loyd mustered a smile, but it was short lived. Garmadon shot a blast of fire, hitting Jay right in the chest. He flew backward, hitting the ground hard.

"No!" L-loyd screamed.

Garmadon turned around slowly. "Son?"

L-loyd swallowed. "Dad, you don't have to do this."

The warlord frowned. "I need power, Lloyd. While I was in the Departed Realm, I saw a darkness, so powerful that it frightened even me. I must be strong enough to hold it back."

"But you don't have to fight the ninja to be strong. We'll find another way."

"No," another voice said flatly. L-loyd and Garmadon turned to see Harumi walking down the far end of the tunnel.

"The fight is what fuels him," the princess explained. "And who better to fight than the ninja?"

L-loyd shook his head. "There has to be a better way. We can train together, stop the darkness, but please, don't hurt them."

Garmadon glanced back at L-loyd, and for a moment, he actually believed the warlord would listen.

"Jay! No!" Nya cried, pushing past all three of them. Cole and Zane stood frozen beside L-loyd, until Cole finally broke the silence.

"Garmadon!" he roared, charging the warlord like a mad man. L-loyd gaped. No. No. No. This couldn't be happening.

"Stop!" L-loyd cried. "Don't do this!"

"This. Man. Killed. My. Best. Friend," Cole yelled, throwing a punch with every word. Garmadon ducked, stepping back until he was pressed against the wall. Cole's arms glowed and pulsed like magma. He drew his arm back—

"He's not dead!" Nya interrupted. "He's still breathing."

Cole froze and his arms returned to normal, but now that the shock had worn off, Garmadon was ready to strike back. Hard. The warlord hit the earth ninja across jaw, sending him stumbling back.

"Dad!"

Garmadon ignored him. The warlord kept launching blow after blow, each one with more force then the next. Cole doubled over, blood pouring down his face. He fell to the floor, but Garmadon kept going.

"Stop!"

Garmadon went to kick Cole in the back, but Zane froze his leg. The warlord glared at the ice ninja. He broke the ice and marched over to him, four purple blades in hand.

"Dad, please, don't do this!"

"Oh, Lloyd," Harumi said with mock sweetness, turning his head away from the horrible scene unfolding in front of him.

"You're so naive. In order for there to be change, there must also be destruction," she explained, a twisted smile on her face.

L-loyd broke away. "This isn't change, this is torture! How can you be okay with this?"

Harumi scowled. "They destroyed my family."

"That doesn't make this right!" L-loyd snapped. The two glared at each other, neither willing to look away.

Zane cried, snapping them both out of their eye-lock. L-loyd gasped. Sparks flew, and Zane's chest busted open, revealing a series of wires and switches. Garmadon swung his blade, but Nya tackled him, causing the warlord to miss by inches.

Garmadon stumbled, but he quickly regained his balance, throwing Nya off in the process. She skidded across the ground, right next to Jay. She forced herself back up, but L-loyd had a sinking feeling she wouldn't last much longer.

He glanced back at Harumi. Her eyes were wide, and she held her breath as Garmadon tossed the girl ninja around. Nya groaned, and blood trickled down a cut in her forehead. Garmadon marched closer.

Nya reached out her hand and tried to summon some water to act as some kind of defense, one last stand… but the small stream splashed to the floor. Utterly useless. Nya moaned and her hand dropped to the ground. This was the end.

A sharp breath hissed in L-loyd's ear. Harumi's eyes shimmered, with excitement or some kind of regret, he couldn't tell. L-loyd turned back to Nya, who was still trying to move. Her hand inched forward, finally grasping Jay's.

L-loyd's heart broke. This had to end. Now.

"STOP!" he yelled.

Garmadon paused. "Son, I must do this."

L-loyd shook his head. "No. No, you don't. You're strong enough already, and even if you aren't, you'll have me and Harumi and the rest of the ninja too. We'll stop the darkness together. Just stop."

Garmadon froze. Then, slowly, he extinguished his purple flames and backed away.

Next to L-loyd, Harumi started shaking. "They killed my parents. They don't deserve a second chance."

L-loyd grabbed her hand. "Harumi, please, this isn't going to make you feel any better. I'm sorry your parents died, but the Great Devourer killed them, not the ninja."

Harumi sniffed and shook her head. "Lloyd, you don't understand."

L-loyd frowned. "Look at them," he said, pointing to Jay and Nya, who were still holding hands. "They're people, with flaws who make mistakes, but they also are trying to do what's right."

Harumi stared at the two of them for a long time, silent tears slipping down her cheeks. L-loyd pulled her into a hug. The princess stiffened, but finally she leaned on his shoulder.

"End the violence, Harumi," L-loyd whispered, and he let go. She backed up, blinking fiercely. She couldn't meet L-loyd's gaze, but everywhere she looked there was another broken ninja, each leaving her emptier than the last.

Harumi sank to the floor and buried her face in her hands. Her entire life she had been preparing for this moment, but now…

At last she murmured, "What can I do?"

L-loyd sat down next to her. "We pick up the pieces, together."

Harumi nodded slowly, but she still didn't lift her head.

"We should also probably get the ninja to a hospital," L-loyd added. Harumi snorted. After all this time, she couldn't believe she was actually agreeing to help her sworn enemies.

"Alright," she said.

L-loyd smiled and helped her up. "Dad, can you carry them up to the Destiny's Bounty?"

Garmadon, who had stood silently the entire time, nodded and quickly scooped them up into his four arms. He had no idea how to handle this emotional trauma and was glad to have something else to do.

L-loyd turned to follow him, but Harumi grabbed his sleeve.

"Lloyd…" her voice broke and a took a moment before she tried again. "Lloyd, thank you."

He shrugged. "Of course."

She shook her head. "No really. If you hadn't come from your other realm, I was going to destroy everything the other Lloyd loved. But when you came, you changed everything. Getting revenge on you wouldn't mean anything anymore. I thought I would hurt the ninja instead, but you stopped me again. Thank you."

L-loyd smiled. "You're welcome."

The two of them walked down the tunnel, each not quite sure what to say, but enjoying each other's company all the same.

After a moment, L-loyd decided to break the silence. "You know, before I met you, I was really upset about my dad and how everyone hated me for being the son of an evil warlord…"

"Really?" Harumi interrupted. "That's awful."

"Yeah," L-loyd agreed. "It was. But my mom and my friends… they kept me going. And then I met you, and you brought Garmadon back and I thought everything was going to be perfect."

Harumi laughed bitterly. "Sorry to disappoint you."

L-loyd shook his head. "That's not what I meant. What I mean is, watching you give up your hatred like that, it taught me something."

Harumi blinked. "What?"

L-loyd sighed. "I need to go back and face my own father. He may be an evil villain, but I can't just ignore him my entire life."

Harumi froze. "You're going back? But I thought we were going to face this together."

"I know," L-loyd said sadly. "I really want to, but I don't really belong here. I will do what I can before I leave though. Besides, I've most likely scared my mom out of her mind, and despite all its flaws, I miss home. When this world's Lloyd returns, hopefully, he can continue what I started."

The princess stared at the ground. "I think you belong here," she whispered quietly.

L-loyd smiled faintly. "Thanks."

She still didn't look up. L-loyd slipped his hand in hers and gave her a squeeze. "I promise I'll come back and visit, okay? I'm not just going to leave you and Garmadon."

Harumi nodded. "Okay."

"Come on," he said gently. "Kai's probably wondering what's taking so long."

Harumi nodded again and the two continued down the tunnel. They picked up Kai, who insisted he could walk out by himself, even though he definitely still had a concussion, and they made their way back to the Bounty. They flew off, Harumi and L-loyd looking out over the railing, neither wanting to admit that all too soon, their adventure was coming to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, this is not going to turn into a Lloyd/Harumi romance. They become friends, only. Movie's Lloyd's power is being able to connect people and use his influence, so that's how he was able to persuade Garmadon and Harumi to stop. Thanks again to all of you who have commented and given us Kudos! We appreciate each and every one of you! That's what keeps us going! More to come...stay tuned!


	16. Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garmadon and Lloyd go into the Swamp. Interesting things happen...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alert-long chapter ahead-Enjoy!

 

Garmadon decided that the fastest route to The Impossible to Climb Mountains was to go through the Swamp. Lloyd didn't question it, since he didn't know the area at all. After telling his Generals that he was going to 'do pure warrior stuff in the field' and keep things under control in the city or else, he and Lloyd set out from Ninjago City.

As the odd pair made their way out of the city, Lloyd noticed the citizens were being led away by the Shark Army. He remembered Garmadon saying that he was going to force them to work for him. The teen couldn't help but feel sorry for them, but maybe by going back to his own realm, it would fix the damage that had been done. He could hope anyway.

Lloyd could see the Swamp in the distance. It looked like they had to cross a sandy area to get there. He looked up at the sun that was bearing down on them. This wasn't going to be easy. Lloyd spied a glance at Garmadon. The warlord had changed his outfit before leaving the city and was wearing pants with no shirt, a rice hat, and a bandana type cape that hung over one side of his shoulder. Lloyd couldn't help but notice that Garmadon was really fit, but it was like he  _wanted_  to show off his physique.

"Do you think we'll catch up with Koko?" Lloyd asked, try to make conversation. He was concerned for her safety.

"Possibly, but she got a good head start on us," Garmadon answered. "She's quite the formidable warrior, so I wouldn't be surprised if she's already reached the mountains," he said with admiration clear in his tone.

Lloyd pondered this. It was obvious that Garmadon held Koko up in high esteem and still had feelings for her. Koko was so very different from his own mother. Sure, she was great archaeologist, but a warrior...she was not.

"So, uh, this Swamp we're going to go through," Lloyd finally spoke up again, "is it safe?"

"I have no idea. Never been through it," Garmadon answered. "But if you're afraid, you can always find a safer way." He said 'safer' in a mocking tone.

"I'm not afraid and I'm not going back," Lloyd countered. "I just want to be prepared."

"They don't have swamps where you come from?" the warlord asked.

"Of course they do," Lloyd answered, rolling his eyes. "But things are different here. And I haven't been through a swamp." The closest he had come to something similar was the time when he and his father had made their way through Hiroshi's Labyrinth when he was on the run from the Overlord. That was hard, but they least had each other. This was so different, Lloyd reflected as he looked over at Garmadon once more.

"How long has it been since you've seen your son?" Lloyd ventured to ask.

Garmadon snorted. "Well, if you don't count all times I fought him as the Green Ninja, and that phone call the other day, not since he was seven."

"And how old is he now?" Lloyd asked.

"He turned sixteen just the other day," Garmadon answered, remembering what his son had told him during the phone call. He had hardly recognized him.

_Same age as me._ "And you really didn't know he was the Green Ninja?"

"Nope. Not a clue. The Green Ninja is one of my greatest enemies, honor bound and sworn to destroy me," Garmadon mused. "Ironic that he turned out to be my own son."

_Yeah,_ Lloyd thought.  _I was told something similar._  "My father was really surprised when he found out I was the Green Ninja. I was eight then. He had just saved me from the Serpentine. From that day on, we were on opposite sides."

"So, my counterpart in your world was an evil warlord too?" Garmadon asked, sounding interested. They were almost in the Swamp now.

"He wasn't a warlord. He was a good man until he got bit by the Great Devourer and that eventually turned him evil," Lloyd explained. "Then the Overlord took over his body."

"The who now?" the warlord asked with a raised brow.

"Long story," Lloyd waved his hand. "In the end, I defeated the Overlord and the evil got purged from my father and he became good again. He soon was called Sensei Garmadon."

"That's unfortunate," Garmadon commented as they started making their way into the Swamp.

"What do you mean by that?" Lloyd asked, offended.

"He became 'good.' Sounds totally boring!" the warlord scoffed.

"He was not boring!" Lloyd insisted. "He had his own dojo and practiced the 'Art of the Silent fist.'"

"The what?" Garmadon asked.

"It's a martial arts technique that involves misdirection and avoiding the attacks of your enemies."

The warlord laughed loudly and wiped his eyes. "That's lame."

Lloyd fumed. "He easily defeated me with it."

"Well, that's not hard to imagine. I easily defeated you," Garmadon told the teen with a smug look.

Lloyd was about to give a retort when he felt himself slowly starting to sink. He looked down and saw that his legs had gotten stuck in the wet, marshy ground and it was slowly sucking him down. He tried to take a few steps backward, but he sunk further down to his knees. Keeping his arms above him, he tried to summon his green power, but he couldn't focus and stay calm enough. He was up to his waist now. The teen looked up and saw Garmadon nearby, just staring at him.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?" Lloyd snapped, starting to feel a little panicked.

"Well, it's been amusing to watch you try to get out. You're doing all the wrong things," Garmadon told him, as he walked over to Lloyd, but staying enough away that he wouldn't get himself stuck.

"Enlighten me after I get out!" Lloyd huffed. He was up to his chest now and trying hard to keep his arms above the water.

Garmadon shook his head amusedly, but handed Lloyd a branch, which the teen grasped onto. Unfortunately, Lloyd in his frantic efforts to get out, broke the branch.

"Slow down, kid," Garmadon told him as he searched for a stronger branch. "You can't just yank yourself out of there. You need to evenly distribute your weight. Try to stretch yourself out, while I get another branch." Lloyd was desperate to try anything, so he did as the warlord instructed and found that it was working and keeping him from sinking further.

Garmadon searched and found a new branch. "Woah!" he yelled as the 'branch' slithered onto the ground. He stomped his foot in the dirt and the creature slithered away. "Never did care for snakes," he muttered under his breath.

Lloyd saw that Garmadon had grabbed a snake by mistake. He would have laughed if he wasn't stuck in his current predicament.

Garmadon looked around quickly for another branch and made sure it wasn't a snake this time. He handed one end to Lloyd again. "Slowly pull on this."

Little by little, Lloyd was able to pull himself out of the thick muck, as the warlord leaned back and kept light tension on the branch. At last, the teen was free of the marshy area, but he was covered from his chest down with mud and grass. He looked up at Garmadon.

"Thanks," he said quietly. "How did you know what to do?"

The warlord blinked. "I spent a lot of my time in the field, conquering various villages in remote areas. You learn a thing or two. Just watch your step next time."

"I'll remember that," Lloyd answered dryly, as they resumed their journey. He wondered what else they would find in this Swamp.

* * *

Lloyd was beginning to wonder how long it would take them to get through this place. It seemed like there was no end in sight. His clothes had dried, but they were crusty and stiff. Another thing they had discovered was the mosquitos. They were relentless. In fact, there were all manner of insects crawling around. Lloyd swore he saw a spider that was as big as a dinner plate.

"We'll have to spend the night here," Garmadon suddenly announced, as he stopped walking so abruptly that Lloyd almost ran into the back of him.

"What?" he asked.

"It's too far to make it to the other side. And unless you want to be trekking through here in the dark with no light, we need to wait out the night," the warlord told the teen.

Lloyd was about to suggest that he could use his green energy as light, but then again, they could still fall into something, and he did not want to repeat that experience. Besides, he should save his energy for other more important things.

"Sure, that makes sense," he agreed. He saw Garmadon gathering sticks. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm gathering wood to build a shelter. Make yourself useful and get some too. We'll need to build a fire," Garmadon barked at him.

Lloyd grumbled, but complied. Honestly, would it kill Garmadon to be nice for once? It's not like he wanted to be stuck here with  _him_ either.

When he returned, Lloyd saw that Garmadon managed to build a small hut like structure. It wasn't much, but it least it would provide them with a decent shelter.

Lloyd had to admit that the warlord seemed to know a lot about survival in the wild. He wondered though how they would get the fire started and asked Garmadon.

"Punch me in the gut as hard as you can," Garmadon answered casually.

"Are you kidding?" Lloyd asked. "Why would I do that?"

"You'll see. Just do it!" the warlord commanded.

"Fine!" Lloyd still felt this was wrong, but he did as Garmadon asked.

"Ow! You do have quite a punch when you put your mind to it," the warlord gritted out as he bent over, clutching his stomach. He stood over the wood, and soon, flames started coming down his face and caught the wood on fire.

"What the…?" Lloyd gasped.

"I cry tears of fire," Garmadon explained. "Don't ask me how."

"Wow," Lloyd said, still amazed. How did it not burn his face?

"I'm going to do some hunting," Garmadon announced, after he was satisfied with the way the fire was going. "Stay put."

Lloyd watched him go. Garmadon was certainly full of surprises.

It didn't take long for the warlord to return with some kind of game that he had gotten. Lloyd didn't know what it was, but it was soon being roasted over the open fire. It smelled good at least.

Garmadon soon handed him a skewer with some kind of meat on it. Lloyd took an eager bite out of it. He didn't realize how hungry he was.

"Wow, this is pretty good. What is it?" Lloyd asked, as he took another bite.

"Frog," Garmadon answered as he ate his own. Lloyd's face turned green and he stopped eating. He noticed the teen's look. "What? Weren't you just saying it tasted good? Anyway, it's all I could find out here."

Lloyd swallowed and went back to eating as best he could. He wished he hadn't asked. He then saw Garmadon take some wood that looked like a bowl and after putting a few small rocks in it, he held it over the fire.

"What are you doing with that?" he asked the warlord.

"Boiling water," Garmadon replied. "Just have to be careful the rocks don't explode."

"Explode?" Lloyd repeated.

"Yup. When they heat up, they can explode on you."

"Nice," Lloyd mumbled under his breath. Thankfully, the rocks didn't explode, and they had clean water to drink. There was so much about surviving the wilderness that Lloyd did not know.

When it was time to go to sleep, Garmadon said they should take it in shifts. He said that you never know what kinds of creatures can sneak up on you at night. Lloyd offered to take the first shift. He least had his power that he could use to ward anything that came near. Garmadon went into the shelter, leaving Lloyd to his thoughts.

Several hours later, the blonde found it harder and harder to keep watch. He was starting to nod off and had to fight to keep awake. He got up and went to poke the fire a bit, which had been reduced to glowing embers. He heard a noise and turned around quickly, searching the dark surroundings. His hands soon glowed with green energy that he was ready to use…

"Woah, hold it, kid! It's just me!" came a deep voice. Lloyd saw the familiar red glow of Garmadon's eyes.

"Sorry," Lloyd answered, extinguishing his power.

"Get some rest. I'll take over," Garmadon told him.

Lloyd wondered how the warlord would defend himself if something came, but he was too tired to really worry about it. Besides, Garmadon had already proven he knew a lot about survival. He fell asleep as soon as hit head hit the ground.

* * *

Lloyd soon awoke to hearing a deep, gruff voice. For minute, he forgot where he was. As he opened his eyes, he saw Garmadon right in his face. He yelped and backed up. Didn't the warlord have any boundaries for personal space?

"It's about time!" Garmadon grumbled. "I've been trying to wake you for a while. You sleep like a rock." He then left.

Lloyd rubbed his eyes and got up slowly. He came out of the shelter and saw that Garmadon had the fire going once more and cooking some kind of eggs over a large rock. There seemed to be no end to the warlord's resourcefulness.

"We should get going," Garmadon said after they finished. "We still have quite a way to go."

Lloyd groaned as he stood up. Sleeping on the hard ground did a number on his back.

After going on for a while, the pair came to a large body of water. "How do we get around that?" Lloyd asked.

"We can't. We'll just have to go through it. It's probably not that deep," Garmadon answered. He broke off a branch of a nearby tree. "We can use this to test the depth."

"Or I can airjitzu us across," Lloyd offered. He did not like the idea of going through swamp water. Who knew was what in there?

"You can do what now?" Garmadon asked, with a raised brow.

Oh, right. No one here knew about that technique. Well, it was his turn to teach the warlord something.

"It's a martial art that was created by Master Yang," Lloyd answered, "where you use your elemental power to tap into it. You create a tornado-like vortex of energy around yourself, which allows you to levitate into the air. I could get us both across," he finished.

"Uh, yeah, that sounds cool, but I'd rather go across myself," Garmadon answered. There was no way he wanted some kid to carry him anywhere.

"Suit yourself," Lloyd shrugged. "See you on the other side." He summoned his green energy, created the swirling vortex of green and ascended into the air. He knew the technique wouldn't last long, but he felt he could make it across. He soon saw some solid ground he could land on and made his descent. Success! Maybe now the warlord would be impressed with something he did, though Lloyd wasn't really sure why his approval even mattered.

Lloyd turned to face the water to see where Garmadon was at. Surprisingly, he was pretty close to the shore. He was testing the water with the stick to see how deep it was in various places before going forward. Lloyd spotted something moving in the water, a few feet behind the warlord. Whatever it was, it was gaining fast.

Lloyd waded into the water, without really thinking and came right up to Garmadon. He summoned his power and said loudly, "Duck!"

Garmadon was surprised but ducked right as Lloyd fired off his blast directly behind him and into the water. They both watched as it shot an alligator straight out of the water and sent it flying until it was out of sight.

They quickly made their way out of the water and back onto the shore. "That was close," Lloyd said out of breath from the adrenaline.

"Y-you...saved me," Garmadon finally spoke. "Why?"

"I owe you one," Lloyd answered. "Anyway, it was the right thing to do." This Garmadon wasn't his father, but they were in this together after all. "Let's keep going."

Garmadon silently lead the way once more. The teen was giving him things to think about that he didn't really want to admit. It wasn't long before they came upon the edge of the swamp.

Lloyd couldn't feel more relieved. "I'm glad that's over," he said, as they came out, but his relief was short lived. Looming over them were The Impossible to Climb Mountains. Their name was well chosen. He had no idea how they were going to reach the top, where he could see clouds. There was no sign of Koko either, which made him feel worried. Did she make this far and then…? He didn't want to think about it.

Lloyd swallowed hard. This would be his hardest challenge yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this crazy long chapter. Fun Fact: The Swamp and the Impossible to Climb mountains are places on the Lego Ninjago Map. Lloyd and Garmadon made it this far, so hopefully they will find a way together to reach the top! Next time more exciting things will happen! Thank you so much to all of your who comment and leave kudos! We appreciate the support!


	17. Starting Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lloyd talks to Harumi some more...and Garmadon...and a decision is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EMPFangirl02's chapter

L-loyd and Harumi sat in the Bounty, hovering above the city. They had delivered the ninja to a nearby hospital, and now all they could do was wait for their recovery. There were a lot of changes to made to the Sons of Garmadon, several prisoners, including someone called Misako, who was apparently L-loyd's mother in this universe, had been freed from Kryptarium prison. From Harumi's description, she looked and sounded absolutely nothing like the mom L-loyd knew. After that, the gang had been disbanded and the authorities had been called. Harumi knew that they would have a lot of explaining to do to the police, but she would deal with that later. For now, the two sat in companionable silence, with L-loyd looking at the pictures on the wall, and Harumi staring at the ground.

"Who's this?" L-loyd finally asked, pointing to a man with a red, cone shaped hat and some sort of device covering one of his eyes.

Harumi slowly lifted her head. "No idea. These are the ninja's pictures, not mine."

L-loyd noticed the bitterness in her tone and decided to change topics. "So, what do you do for fun?" he asked.

The princess blinked. "Fun?"

"Yeah, you know, when you weren't planning Garmadon's return?" L-loyd asked.

Harumi frowned. "My revenge was my whole life. Every moment was spent researching, training, or pretending to be the princess of Ninjago."

L-loyd winced. "So… what'll you do now?"

Harumi shrugged. "I don't know. I was hoping you would help me figure that out, but you're leaving, so..."

The teen picked up on her jab. He knew she didn't want him to leave, but he really didn't have a choice. This wasn't his world, and it wasn't fair to his family or the ninja to stay.

"Well, I enjoy playing video games with my friends," L-loyd said, trying to be helpful instead of getting into another argument.

"Video games?" Harumi repeated, a small smirk on her face. She could hardly imagine the all-mighty green ninja sitting down and gaming like a normal person.

L-loyd smiled. "Yeah. When Master Wu leaves and we have a break in between training, my friends and I will play all sorts of games, as long as they're multiplayer. I'm not very good. Kai and Nya are the real gamers. Last week, they brought Fist to Face 2, this RPG fighting game where you pick teams and duel each other. You can also play bosses and there's a story mode too…" he trailed off.

They had finished the game a few days before his birthday, and Kai promised that he would get L-loyd an extra special video game for the occasion. It was one of the few things he had been looking forward to. He sighed.

"You really miss them," Harumi commented sadly.

L-loyd nodded.

"Have you told Garmadon?" she asked.

"Not yet," L-loyd admitted, staring at his green cushion. "It's just," he began, fiddling with one of the tassels, "I said I was going to be by his side and he was going to be my dad. How can I tell him I'm leaving?"

"You could stay here," Harumi pointed out, and L-loyd shot her a glare. She sighed. "I know, not an option."

Silence. L-loyd went back to staring at the cushion. The left-hand tassel had a string that was just slightly longer than the others and it was really bothering him. He tugged at it, mainly to give him something to do. Harumi inched closer to him, but L-loyd ignored her, until she put her hand on top of his.

L-loyd slowly raised his head and met the princess's gaze. Her eyes softened. "Lloyd, you convinced me to let go of my revenge. You can talk to your father about leaving."

"But—"

"No buts," she said, firmly cutting him off. "You said you were going to face your father. You're not going back on your word, are you?"

L-loyd crossed his arms, shaking off Harumi's hand. "I was talking about my actual father."

"So was I," Harumi countered.

L-loyd rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. My birth father."

"But Garmadon was more of a father to you in the few days you knew him than your birth father did in your entire life," she pointed out. L-loyd stared at her.

"Your words," Harumi said, and L-loyd dropped his gaze. "Trust me," she went on. "I saw the way he looked at you. You can't just leave this realm without telling him."

L-loyd sighed. "I know, but… being so close to him, almost makes it harder."

Harumi placed her hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, Lloyd, you should talk to him now. You never know how long your family's going to be around." Her eyes shimmered, and L-loyd knew she was thinking about her own parents.

"I'll talk to him," he said at last.

"Now?" Harumi asked.

L-loyd let out a long, pent up breath. "Might as well."

She grinned. "Good luck," she said as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Thanks," he replied, as he made his way out of the ninja's room.  _Here goes nothing._

* * *

L-loyd ascended the ladder to the upper deck of the Bounty. A wind blew his long hair, and he brushed his bangs out of his eyes. He looked around, and there was Garmadon, staring out over the city.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward, joining his dad at the railing. Garmadon didn't move. L-loyd's heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Hey, Dad," he began slowly.

The warlord turned his head to look at L-loyd. "Hello, son," he replied simply, and then he went back to staring at the city.

L-loyd swallowed. "Beautiful view, huh?" He still couldn't quite bring up the idea of leaving.

"Yes," Garmadon answered. "For the longest time, I wanted to reform Ninjago into my own image."

"But now you won't?" L-loyd asked hopefully.

Garmadon shook his head. "I have no need. Not with you by my side."

L-loyd cringed. "About that…"

The warlord turned sharply; his red eyes boring into L-loyd's. The teen winced.

"You're not leaving, are you?" Garmadon asked quietly.

Was L-loyd imagining a dangerous edge in his voice? He gulped. "Eventually." Garmadon glared, and he rushed to explain.

"This isn't my world, I have a mom back home, and she's going to be worried sick by now, and my friends need me. Plus, there's my other dad that's wreaking havoc, so I have to go back." Man, that sounded weird.

Garmadon glowered. He didn't look convinced. "You said you would stay by my side if I was your dad. Was I not good enough for you?"

L-loyd shook his quickly. "No! You've been amazing, well, aside from beating up the ninja. But that's not why I'm leaving. My realm needs me."

The warlord frowned. "I don't understand."

L-loyd sighed. "Look, back home, I'm the leader of this Secret Ninja force that fights to keep the city safe. My friends need me, and… I need them," L-loyd admitted.

Garmadon blinked, and L-loyd continued, "I won't be gone forever. I'll come back; I promise."

Garmadon's frown didn't lessen.

"Besides," L-loyd added. "Your real son will come back, and you can spend time with him."

The warlord still glared. " _You_  are my only son."

L-loyd sighed. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. "Thanks, I really appreciate it—"

"Then stay with me," Garmadon insisted.

L-loyd shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't. I have responsibilities, but I will come back."

"If you must leave," Garmadon finally answered, "then I will go with you."

"What?" L-loyd exclaimed. "You can't do that! This is your world; you can't come with me."

"If you are going, then I will go as well," Garmadon answered simply.

A terrible image of the two Garmadons meeting and getting into a fight popped into L-loyd's mind. "You can't go!" he said quickly.

The warlord growled. "Why not?"

L-loyd struggled to find something, anything to convince Garmadon to stay behind. He glanced behind him, when he saw Harumi, standing in the control room. Their eyes met, and she gave him an encouraging smile. An idea slowly formed in L-loyd's brain. Maybe he could solve both their problems in one go. L-loyd turned back to Garmadon.

"Harumi needs you," L-loyd replied. "She's starting her whole life over again, and with me gone, you're the only one who can help her."

Garmadon blinked slowly. "Me?"

L-loyd nodded. "Yeah. She really looks up to you, and since you've restarted your life, in a way, you help each other out."

Garmadon frowned, not quite sure what to think. Harumi was the woman who brought him back to life, and if that's what his son really wanted... After a moment, he asked, "What about you? Who will watch over you in your realm?"

A small smile touched L-loyd's lips. If only his real father was this concerned about him. "I'll be fine," he assured Garmadon. "I'm the Green Ninja. I can take care of myself."

Garmadon didn't look convinced.

"Plus, I have all my friends, Master Wu and my mom to keep me safe," L-loyd added.

The warlord still seemed worried. L-loyd walked over and gave him a hug. The warlord started, but then slowly wrapped his four arms around his son.

"I'll be alright," L-loyd whispered. "I promise."

Garmadon squeezed him tighter. "You will return, when your responsibilities are taken care of?" he asked.

"Of course," L-loyd replied. He snuggled closer into his dad's embrace. Garmadon smiled, a real, warm fatherly smile, and picked up his son. L-loyd leaned on his shoulder, and the two stayed that way for quite some time.

Suddenly, L-loyd remembered something, and he shifted to look his father in the eye. "When this world's Lloyd comes back, you'll give him a chance, and treat him just like you would treat me, right?"

Garmadon sighed. "If you insist."

That wasn't super reassuring, but that was probably the best L-loyd was going to get. He let go of his father, and Garmadon set him down on the ground.

"I'm going to go check on the ninja," L-loyd told the warlord. "I'll be back."

Garmadon frowned, but he let his son go. He watched him until he was out of sight.

* * *

L-loyd slid down on a rope and landed on the hospital roof. He found the roof access door and found the ninja's rooms. Most of them were still out of it, except for Kai, who was having an argument with a nurse.

"I feel fine!" he complained.

"I told you, concussion symptoms can come and go. Getting up now will only make your recovery longer in the long run," the nurse scolded.

Kai crossed his arms and flopped back in bed. "But there's nothing to do here. You won't even let me watch TV!"

The nurse sighed. "Like I've said, bright lights and the eye strain from staring at a screens will make your symptoms worse, especially your headaches."

Kai snorted, and L-loyd chuckled softly as he came over to the hot-headed ninja's bedside. The nurse stared at L-loyd.

"Don't stimulate him too much," she told him. "I'm trying to get him to rest." The nurse shot a pointed glare at Kai, who just rolled his eyes. She shook her head and left the room.

"How are you?" L-loyd asked.

"Other than bored out of mind?" Kai asked. "Well, I've certainly been worse, but I keep getting these terrible headaches."

L-loyd laughed. "That's a concussion for you."

He remembered one of his first missions as a ninja, he'd knocked his head really hard after getting thrown out of his dragon mech. L-loyd had installed a seatbelt after that.

"So, how's the Quiet One?" Kai asked, the venom apparent in his voice.

L-loyd frowned. "Her name is Harumi, and she's doing alright, considering her entire life got turned upside down."

"And you're sure she's not just pretending? She had all of us fooled," Kai countered.

L-loyd sighed. "I'm positive. Harumi's really trying to change. And before you ask, Garmadon's not going to attack you ever again. I promise."

Kai frowned. "If you say so."

"I do. You should trust me a little more. I did save all your lives," L-loyd pointed out.

Kai snorted. "After you helped Harumi bring back an evil warlord."

"He's not an evil warlord!" L-loyd snapped. "He was just misguided."

"Sure," Kai replied.

L-loyd crossed his arms. "You should see him for yourself."

"I would, if I could get out of this place," Kai retorted.

"You'll get out soon enough," L-loyd replied.

Silence fell between the two of them. L-loyd wasn't quite sure what to say. He and Kai hadn't exactly gotten along super well. The Fire Ninja was more concerned with getting his own Lloyd back, but he was warming up to him a little at least.

Finally, Kai said, "I can't believe you just befriended our enemies like that."

L-loyd blinked. Kai almost sounded...impressed.

"Well," he said sheepishly, "it's kinda what I do. All ninja used to be outcasts, but then once we joined the Secret Ninja Force, I reached out and we all became friends."

Kai nodded slowly. "Still, I don't think I could've done that."

L-loyd shrugged. "We all have different talents. You guys have amazing elemental powers, and I can make friends and connect people."

Kai chuckled. "Some good our powers did us."

"You did the best you could," L-loyd assured him.

He let out a long sigh. "Yeah, but it really wasn't the same without Lloyd."

L-loyd really didn't know what to say to that. He missed his friends too, but he wasn't quite sure how to comfort the Fire Ninja. Well, actually…

"I'm going go back to my own realm soon," L-loyd told him. "And when I do, maybe we can bring your Lloyd back."

Kai grinned. "Perfect! I want to give those writers in the Cloud Kingdom a piece of my mind!"

L-loyd frowned. He remembered that old tea lady saying something about Destiny bringing him here but... "Cloud Kingdom?"

"Writers of Destiny, blah, blah, blah," Kai waved him off. "We traveled to their realm a few years back."

"So, they're the ones who sent me here?" L-loyd asked, confused.

Kai shrugged. "Probably. It's the best explanation I can think of."

"So, they can send me back!" L-loyd cried. "How do I get there?"

"I can take you, if you can get me out of the hospital," Kai offered.

L-loyd grinned. He was going home. "Great! Just let me tell my dad."

Kai nodded and L-loyd bolted up to the roof. This was it. He was finally going to see his friends again. And his mom… hopefully she was alright. L-loyd wondered if she'd be upset that he was gone so long. He shrugged. It didn't matter. He just couldn't wait to see them.

L-loyd pulled himself back up to the Bounty and jumped onto the deck. Harumi and Garmadon turned around to look at him.

"I'm going home!" he announced.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have just a few chapters left of this story. We had a set number of chapters in mind, so we have to get the Lloyd's back to their own realms. Hard to believe that it's starting to wrap up. But we still have some challenges for our friends to get through before they make it. Thank you to all of you who have commented. We feel honored by your support! It's what keeps us going! Until next time!


	18. Steep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lloyd and Garamdon climb the Impossible to Climb Mountains and they find a surprise there.

"Well," Garmadon announced, "we're not going to get anywhere if we keep standing here just staring at the mountain. It won't get any easier to climb."

Lloyd turned to the warlord, frowning. "I'm not  _staring._  I'm  _thinking_  about the best way to get up to the top." Truth be told, he didn't have any good ideas.

Garmadon smirked. "I already have a way." He pulled out four pickaxes from nowhere. Lloyd wondered how the warlord pulled that off. "You want two?" he asked the teen.

Lloyd just stared. Garmadon was serious about climbing with pickaxes. "Um...I don't know…" he trailed off.

"Suit yourself, kid." The teen watched in disbelief as Garmadon started climbing.

There had to be a better way than that. It didn't look safe at all. The warlord was making progress, much to Lloyd's surprise. He was going to be left behind if he didn't think of something fast. Then an idea suddenly came to him. Why didn't he think of it before? He could use his elemental dragon! Summoning his energy, he produced his dragon. He took off and soon caught up with Garmadon.

"Wanna ride?" Lloyd asked the warlord.

Garmadon eyed the green dragon. "How did you do that?"

"I used my elemental power. Creating a dragon is one of the things I can do," Lloyd informed him. "I was on this in the city, earlier, but I don't think you noticed."

"I was a little busy trying to conquer the city at the time," the warlord answered smartly. "I'm doing just fine this way," he continued, waving Lloyd off with one arm.

Lloyd shrugged. "If you're sure." He flew a little further up, but not too fast or high, because he was pretty sure that no matter how good Garmadon was, he wouldn't make it all the way to the top climbing like that.

Soon enough, Lloyd's theory was correct. He swooped down once more where Garmadon had slowed way down and was barely moving forward. Why was the warlord so stubborn?

"My offer still stands," Lloyd told him, holding out his hand.

"I'm just taking a quick break and then I'll be moving again," Garmadon huffed. But just then, a loud noise made the pair look up. A rock avalanche was coming straight at Garmadon.

Lloyd quickly grabbed the warlord who loudly protested the action, pulled him onto the dragon and then flew away just as the rocks went tumbling past them, crashing below.

"That was close," the teen said after the shock had worn off.

"I would have been  _fine,_ " Garmadon grumbled, clearly put off by being rescued.

"Are you serious? You would have been crushed!" Lloyd retorted.

"Whatever. I'll try it your way," Garmadon answered in a tone that clearly indicated his skepticism.

Lloyd turned and started flying again. He didn't understand Garmadon at all.

As they flew higher, strong winds pushed against them, making their ascent really challenging. Lloyd tried different maneuvers, but nothing seemed to be working, and they kept getting pushed back down.

"Let me take over and show you how it's done," Garmadon told Lloyd.

"What do you know about flying?" Lloyd answered loudly over the howling wind. "And especially flying an elemental dragon?"

"I can do it better!" Garmadon argued. "We're getting nowhere like this!"

"I'm doing the best I can!" Lloyd shot back.

Garmadon didn't answer. He just reached over and grabbed the reins from Lloyd.

"Hey!" Lloyd protested, and tried to get the reins back, but the warlord used his other two free arms to keep the teen at arm's length. The dragon did not like Garmadon taking over and tried to shake him off. The pair had to cling hard to not be thrown off.

"Give me back the reins!" Lloyd shouted, trying once more to get them from Garmadon. "It only responds to me!" But the warlord wouldn't listen. Lloyd couldn't maintain the dragon anymore and it suddenly disappeared.

Lloyd and Garmadon looked at each other, as they rapidly started falling.

"Now look what you've done!" the teen yelled.

"Look, I had it all under control until you tried to get the reins from me," Garmadon argued.

"No, you didn't!" Lloyd shot back. He couldn't summon the dragon back in this situation and they were going to die. This was all Garmadon's fault!

Just when all seemed hopeless, Garmadon spotted his pickaxes that were still embedded in the mountain, and reached out and grabbed one with two of his arms, and with the other arms, grabbed Lloyd by the back of his gi. They hung there, precariously.

Lloyd looked down. They had fallen about halfway down, and lost precious time. The sun was getting lower in the sky.

"You can thank me for saving your life now," Garmadon said from above Lloyd.

"You're the one who got us into this mess in the first place!" the blonde answered hotly.

"Well, I'm not flying on your dragon again. I'm going solo," Garmadon replied.

"Fine by me!" Lloyd answered. With his new determination, he was able to summon his dragon once more and started flying again. He watched as Garmadon resumed his climb. The warlord was so infuriating! However, being the person that he was, Lloyd decided to go at Garmadon's pace just in case he needed to help him out. No matter how annoying, Lloyd wouldn't leave him behind. They once more reached the spot where the wind was really strong. Lloyd just couldn't maneuver his dragon through it. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to concede he couldn't make it. He flew around to where Garmadon was climbing more slowly against the strong winds.

"Uh, Garmadon?" Lloyd started, having to talk loudly over the wind.

"What?" the warlord asked, pausing and turned to look at the teen.

"I can't fly my dragon through this wind. I...I need some help," the teen admitted.

Garmadon eyed Lloyd appraisingly. He could have rubbed the kid's failure in his face, but he decided against it. Admitting he needed help was enough.

"You can use two of my pickaxes and we can make it together if we take it slowly. Just do what I do."

"Okay, thanks," Lloyd answered as he got close enough to grab two of the pickaxes and then dispelled his dragon.

Even though it seemed that they didn't have too much further to go, Lloyd hoped he would make it. He thought back to the time when he and his father were climbing a mountain together-when on the run from the Overlord. He was trying to get Lloyd to use tap into the power of the first Spinjitzu Master. He was eventually able to move rocks, even move a mountain. But since then, Lloyd hadn't really been able to tap into the power anymore. It sure would come in handy now. He sighed. He needed to focus, or he would fall.

Garmadon resumed his climb above Lloyd and the teen followed behind, trying his best to follow what the warlord was doing. It wasn't easy at all, and Lloyd found himself admiring that the warlord had made it this far, against all odds. If they made it to the top, Lloyd would give him more credit.

* * *

What seemed like hours later, the pair finally reached the top of the mountain. Since Garmadon reached it first and when he saw that Lloyd was tiring, he reached down and pulled the teen up with his four arms. Lloyd knelt down on the solid ground. They had made it! He found it was hard to breathe because it so high up, almost to the clouds. It took him a little while to adjust to the altitude.

"You okay, kid?" Garmadon asked after a few minutes had passed. Lloyd thought he heard a touch of concern. The warlord too, had taken a little time to adjust to the altitude, but seemed to recover faster than Lloyd.

"Yeah, just needed a minute," Lloyd answered as he stood up. He looked at Garmadon. "Thanks for getting us up here. I wouldn't have made it...without your help."

Before Garmadon could answer, the pair heard another voice. "Well, isn't this a surprise."

Lloyd and Garmadon turned around and saw Koko standing a little way away. How in the world?

"Kokes?" Garmadon asked, slowly making his way over to her. "How did you get up here?"

"I have my ways. I am the Lady IronDragon for a reason," she replied mysteriously. "And nothing would stop me from getting my son back."

Lloyd admired her courage. She truly was an amazing woman. He felt a pang of loss at the vast difference with his own mother. Their relationship was better, but his father was far more the better parent in his mind. He sighed. He wished he could have had a mom like Koko.

"You never cease to amaze me, Kokes," Garmadon answered, shaking his head in wonder. "So, how do we get this realm of yours, kid?" he asked, turning to the teen.

Lloyd shook his head of his thoughts. "Well, I wasn't exactly myself when I came to the Cloud Kingdom before, but I do remember a few things," he started as Garmadon and Koko gave him confused looks.

"It's a long story," he continued. "But as I recall, there was a hurricane like storm, called the Blind Man's Eye. That's how my friends got there. I actually got in through a back door, because I missed the window to get up."

"Well, that's convenient," Garmadon said sarcastically. "There's nothing like that here."

Lloyd looked around. There were plenty of clouds just above them, but none that even remotely looked like storm clouds. What could he do? Maybe if he used his green energy…he summoned his power and shot it straight up at the clouds. The energy charged the clouds and Lloyd used his power to swirl them together faster and faster and with the green energy charged in them, the teen was at last able to create the needed storm. Soon after, the familiar eye opened up.

"Yes! I think this will work!" Lloyd said excitedly. He turned to Garmadon and Koko. "I can airjitzu all of us up together. Then I'm sure we can figure out how to get your son back and me back to my own world." He held out his two hands.

Koko was impressed as she came over. She had never seen power like that. "Wow, your power is amazing!" she told him. Lloyd gave her a shy smile.

Garmadon was astounded by the kid's power too, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it out loud. He reluctantly took one of the teen's hands, while Koko took the other.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. "What if this doesn't work?"

"It will," Lloyd answered, as he formed the familiar ball of green energy around them and lifted them into the air.  _It has to,_ he thought as they entered the eye in the storm.

Before they knew it, they landed on clouds, but it was like solid ground. Lloyd looked around. He vaguely remembered (from being possessed by Morro when he was there before) the tall buildings in the clouds. It was truly an amazing place. They had made it at last!

"We need to go towards the city," Lloyd told Koko and Garmadon.

"How are we walking on clouds?" Koko asked.

"I don't know, exactly," Lloyd answered as they made their way up to a large, golden gate with stairs on the other side that led up into the city. "Other than it's another realm with different rules."

"This would be a great place to conquer," Garmadon said, looking around.

Lloyd turned to him with a raised brow. "Is that all you think about?"

"Greetings," a man suddenly interrupted. The gate opened and the group looked up at the top of stairs as the man came down towards them. "My name is Shen. Welcome to Cloud Kingdom. We've been expecting you."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They made it! I know some parts of this were a stretch, but they had to make it to the Cloud Kingdom somehow. Anything can happen in the world of Lego and fan fiction! XD As for Koko making it, let's just say, that's her secret. Things are beginning to wrap up, but we still have a few good parts to go. Thanks again to all of you who have supported this story! You have made writing this worth it!


	19. Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lloyd and Kai face challenges getting to the Cloud Kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EMPFangirl02's chapter

 

It took a while, but finally, L-loyd, with the help of Garmadon, convinced the doctor to let Kai go. As long as he didn't do anything too dangerous.

"He's just giving directions," L-loyd promised. The nurse glared, but discharged Kai.

"Yes!" The fire ninja whooped, leaping out of the hospital bed.

"Oh no, you don't young man!" The nurse yelled, and a few minutes later, a grumpy Kai was wheeled out of the hospital.

"I can walk," he grumbled.

L-loyd shrugged. "Let's just do what they say, and we'll be out of here in no time."

Harumi landed the Bounty on the street and lowered a ramp so he could wheel Kai on board.

"So, where's the Cloud Kingdom?" L-loyd asked.

"It's in the Blind Man's Eye," Kai replied.

"The Blind Man's Eye?" Harumi repeated. "That swirling storm in the sky?"

Kai nodded.

"How are we supposed to get up there?" Harumi demanded. "Are you trying to get Lloyd killed?"

Kai shook his head. "I've done it before. If we go to the top of the Wailing Alps, we'll be able to airjitzu into the storm, and—"

"You're going to fly my son into a storm?" Garmadon interrupted. Purple flames danced in his four hands.

L-loyd quickly jumped in front of Kai. "He's taking me to Cloud Kingdom so I can go home."

"And the only way to Cloud Kingdom is through the Blind Mind's Eye," Kai insisted.

Garmadon growled, but he extinguished his flames.

"Harumi, take us the Wailing Alps," L-loyd said.

She nodded and ran to the wheel. Garmadon grabbed L-loyd and pulled him away from Kai.

"The Wailing Alps are unforgiving mountains," the warlord whispered. "The winds and the cold are enough to kill a normal man, and the Blind Man's Eye is a hurricane. Are you sure you want to do this?"

L-loyd didn't hesitate. "Of course."

Garmadon frowned. "Very well. Then I shall prepare you for what's ahead."

L-loyd smiled. "Thanks."

The two of them went below deck, and Garmadon helped L-loyd find several warm coats, a ski mask, gloves, and boots. Not long after, the Bounty landed on the slopes of the Wailing Alps.

"This is as high as we can go," Harumi told them.

L-loyd glanced up and swallowed. He could barely see the top of the mountain, much less the hurricane/storm thing. This was going to be a long and dangerous trip.

Kai pushed himself out of the wheelchair. "Let's go," he said.

Garmadon stepped forward. "I'm coming with you."

Kai frowned, but L-loyd nodded appreciatively. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to him yet. "Thank you," he told his father.

Kai glanced at L-loyd. "I'd feel better if he didn't…"

L-loyd glared at him. "You're concussed and I don't have any powers. We could use all the help we can get."

Kai eyed the warlord uncertainty, but finally he agreed. Harumi sprinted out of the control room and skidded to a stop next to them.

"I'm coming too," she announced.

"Seriously?" Kai complained. "Can't you stay here and keep the engines warm or something?"

Harumi didn't budge. "This is the last time I'm going to see Lloyd. The least you can do is let me come with."

Kai opened his mouth to protest, but L-loyd cut him off. "Of course, Harumi."

She smiled and walked off the Bounty with Garmadon. L-loyd went to follow them, but Kai blocked his path.

"You want the Quiet One and Lord Garmadon with you? Are you sure we can trust them?" Kai asked.

L-loyd crossed his arms. "I told you, they're not evil. Give them a chance." He shoved past the Fire Ninja and jogged to catch up with Harumi and Garmadon. Kai followed more slowly.

They trudged through the snow and slowly made their way up the mountain. Eventually, they came to a steep, icy cliff.

"Great." L-loyd muttered. "How are we going to climb this?"

Garmadon eyed the slope. "I could make it. Follow my steps exactly." He whipped out his purple knives and jabbed them into the mountain. Two arms held him in place while his other arms lifted him higher, but even he was making slow progress up the cliff.

"Yeah, I don't think I can do that," L-loyd said, staring up at his father. Being the Green Ninja he was pretty athletic, but not bet-your-life-climbing-a-steep-cliff good.

"Then why don't we ask our guide how he did it?" Harumi asked.

"Good idea. Kai?" L-loyd asked. No answer. He glanced behind him, but Kai was nowhere to be seen.

"Kai?" L-loyd called, louder this time. "Kai? Where are you?"

"You lost him?"

"No, I didn't! He was right here!" L-loyd retorted, tracing their steps backward.

"Well, he's not here now," Harumi snapped back. "Still think it's a good idea to go to the Cloud Kingdom?"

L-loyd growled under his breath. Why did she have to be so stubborn? He was leaving and that's final! "We'll find him," he answered instead.

They found Kai a little way down the path leaning against a rock. His eyes were closed.

"Kai!" L-loyd called. "Are you okay?"

Kai blinked and shook himself. "What? Yeah. I was just taking a short rest. I was going to catch up in a minute."

L-loyd shared a glance with Harumi. "You sure?" he asked the fire ninja. "You don't look so good."

Kai shook his head. "I'm fine. Just a little headache. I'll get you to Cloud Kingdom."

"Great," Harumi answered. "We need your help."

L-loyd offered Kai a hand, but he pushed himself up. The fire ninja wobbled, but he quickly regained his balance and pushed ahead of L-loyd, just to prove he could. L-loyd wasn't convinced. He had a feeling Kai's concussion was bothering him a lot more than he let on.

They approached the cliff and Kai frowned. "I don't remember this."

"Great," Harumi muttered.

"But I think I can use airjitzu to make it to the top," he said.

"So, what are the rest of us going to do?" Harumi asked. "We don't have powers."

"I can carry you," he replied. He offered each of them a hand. Harumi hesitated, but a glance from L-loyd and she took Kai's hand too.

"Ready?" The ninja asked.

L-loyd nodded.

"Ninja Go!" He yelled, spinning into a tornado. A bubble of warm, red air surrounded them, and they slowly began to lift into the air. Beads of sweat covered Kai's forehead and he was panting.

L-loyd glanced down at the ground and they were a good ten feet up by now. He glanced back at Kai. If L-loyd thought the ninja was struggling before, he was definitely struggling now. His eyes were squeezed shut, his muscles tense, veins popping: Kai's entire body screamed agony.

"Kai…?" L-loyd asked slowly. "You gonna be okay?"

He opened his eyes and mustered a cocky grin. "Of course." His entire body spasmed and he winced. "We're almost there, right?"

L-loyd glanced up. They had almost caught up with Garmadon, but they were still a good twenty feet from the top.

"Define almost there," L-loyd answered vaguely.

"We're not," Harumi answered flatly.

Kai groaned, and they went from rising slowly, to hovering. The air stopped swirling around them, and L-loyd's stomach rose to his throat.

"Kai?" L-loyd asked, his voice rising to a scream as they plummeted toward the ground.

Kai shook himself and twisted his body like crazy. Sparks flew and air cushioned them once again, but it didn't last long. Kai's eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body went limp.

The air died, and L-loyd screamed. But they didn't fall. Garmadon used two of his arms to snatch L-loyd and Harumi from the air. L-loyd gasped, but his ninja instincts kicked in. He grabbed Garmadon's arm with one hand and pulled himself and Kai so they were leaning on the mountain instead of dangling midair.

Garmadon hoisted L-loyd onto his shoulders and took a deep breath. Fire blazed in his palm and he punched the mountain, blasting a ledge for them to sit on. L-loyd immediately jumped inside, then turned and helped Harumi and Kai inside.

Garmadon clambered in, and all the adrenaline pounding through L-loyd's system drained away and he sank to the ground. His heart was still beating like crazy and he couldn't catch his breath, but it sure beat almost dying.

"Thanks, Dad," L-loyd gasped.

A small smile flickered across Garmadon's face, but it quickly turned into a harsh glare. "What were you thinking? You knew that boy was injured! How could you put your life in his hands! If you had fallen—" the warlord trailed off.

L-loyd sighed. "I'm sorry. He said he was fine, and we couldn't climb up…"

"You could have asked me! I would have helped you!" Garmadon retorted.

"You seemed busy, and you were so high up already…" L-loyd tried to explain, but he realized he was just making excuses. "I didn't think about it."

Garmadon's gaze softened. "When I heard you scream, I thought… I thought you were gone. I wasn't sure if I could save you."

"I'm sorry," L-loyd said again. "I promise I'll be more careful."

"Next time, I won't leave you alone," Garmadon growled softly. L-loyd swallowed. How was that going to work when they got to the Cloud Kingdom? He sighed and leaned his head against the rock. L-loyd decided that they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. His dad did promise that he'd let him go, right? He rubbed his head, trying the ease dull ache that was forming.

"You should rest," Garmadon instructed.

L-loyd opened his mouth to protest, but a yawn came out instead. He supposed a little rest couldn't hurt. He looked around, and saw Harumi and Kai were already asleep. He sank down to the ground and pulled his head down over his face to block out the ice wind. Suddenly, warmth flooded his body.

L-loyd cracked his eyes open and saw Garmadon had started a fire with his powers. The teen smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

Garmadon smiled back briefly, before turning out to face the entrance of the hole. "I'll keep watch. Rest."

_Keep watch from what?_ L-loyd thought. There was nobody else out there. But at the same time, it was nice to know his dad was up, keeping him safe. L-loyd leaned back and a few minutes later, was fast asleep.

—

When L-loyd woke up, everyone else was all ready to go. Well, except for Kai. He still lying on the ground, not sleeping, but trying to catch up on some much-needed rest before the next leg of their journey. When he noticed L-loyd was awake, the ninja immediately sat up.

"Who's ready to go?" Kai said eagerly, but his attitude wasn't fooling anyone.

Harumi, Garmadon and L-loyd shared glances, and after a moment, L-loyd decided it would sound the best coming from him.

"Kai, the doctor was right," L-loyd admitted. "You're not ready to be up and about, especially climbing a dangerous mountain."

Kai frowned. "What are you saying?"

"You should stay behind," Harumi answered flatly. "You're not doing us any good, and we can make it to the top of the mountain without your directions."

"No!" Kai exploded. "You can't just leave me here! What about when you get to the top? You need airjitzu to make it into the Blind Man's Eye!"

"We'll find another way," Harumi replied.

Kai shook his head fiercely, then suddenly stopped. Probably because it hurt his head. "No. I just need a little more rest, and then I'll be fine. I promise."

Garmadon frowned. "You're not doing yourself any favors. It would be better if you stayed here."

Kai glowered at Garmadon. "You can't leave me here!" he repeated. "I need to bring my own Lloyd back!" He paused, and for a moment, L-loyd thought he was going to cry. "Please," he whispered.

L-loyd sighed. "Maybe Garmadon can carry you up the rest of the way," he suggested slowly, looking at his dad for confirmation. The warlord tilted his head, and L-loyd continued. "That way, you won't hurt yourself anymore, and you can get some more rest. By then, you might be able to airjitzu into the storm."

Kai looked a bit uncertain at this prospect, but Garmadon nodded and hoisted the ninja onto his back. As the warlord turned to continue the climb up the cliff, Kai turned back to L-loyd. "Thank you," he said.

L-loyd smiled in return. Garmadon used his powers to punch hand holds into the mountain, allowing L-loyd and Harumi to follow. Before long, they made it up the cliff and trudged up the snowy slope instead. Cold winds stung L-loyd's eyes, and each breath hurt, but he pressed on, one foot in front of the other. He kept telling himself that after this, he would be in the Cloud Kingdom, and then he would be home.

Garmadon blazed a path in front of them, melting the snow and blasting a trail for Harumi and L-loyd to follow. They were making good time, and before long, L-loyd could actually see the top of the mountain. They were getting close! Soon, they came to a towering, almost spiral peak, with long, jagged icicles hanging from the rocks.

"How are we going to get up there?" L-loyd asked.

Kai slid out of Garmadon's grasp and stood beside him. "This is where we use airjitzu," he said.

Harumi eyed the fire ninja uncertainty. While he had been resting this entire time, he was still wobbly on his feet.

"Are you sure you can make it?" she asked.

Kai flashed her one of his cocky grins. "Of course."

Garmadon turned around and gave the fire ninja a death glare. "If you drop my son…"

Kai backed away quickly. "I won't," he promised. "We'll take short bursts until we make it to the top."

Garmadon frowned, and Kai quickly added. "To be safe, I'll only take L-loyd. Less weight, less chance of falling."

Harumi's stony gaze faltered. "We're not coming with you? But I thought we were going to the Cloud Kingdom together."

"I mean, if you want to take that chance…" Kai started.

"No!" She interrupted quickly. "One near death experience is good enough for me thanks."

Harumi took a deep breath and pushed a loose piece of hair back. "It's just…" she blinked, cleared her throat and tried again. "It's just I don't want to say goodbye," she finished staring at L-loyd.

L-loyd swallowed and took a step closer to the princess. "It's not really goodbye," he said, trying to comfort her. "I'm coming back."

She sniffed. "I know, but you're still leaving."

L-loyd pulled Harumi into a hug and she locked her arms around him, so tight L-loyd struggled to breathe. "Harumi," he gasped, and she eased up.

"Sorry," she whispered.

L-loyd smiled. "It's alright."

"Are you sure you have to go?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, I've been away too long already," L-loyd answered, and Harumi sniffed and buried her face into his shoulder.

"Hey," he whispered softly. "You're going to be alright. You'll have Garmadon, and I'll be back soon."

"Promise?" Harumi asked.

"Promise," L-loyd told her, and he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"A-hem," Kai cleared his throat loudly. "Hate to break up the moment here, but we really should get going."

"In a minute," L-loyd called over his shoulder. He turned back to Harumi and whispered, "I'm going to say goodbye to Garmadon, okay?"

Harumi nodded, and L-loyd let go. He took a deep breath and approached Garmadon slowly. L-loyd wanted to say goodbye, but no words seem to cut it.

"Dad," he began, his voice cracking. "Dad, I—"

Garmadon cut him off with a hug, lifting him up and holding him close like a little kid. L-loyd closed his eyes and buried himself in his dad's shoulder. Tears welled up in his eyes. He wished he didn't have to leave him behind. This was the hardest part of leaving this world. Trading a father who loved him and cared and was there, for an egotistical villain who walked out on his family.

"Come back soon," Garmadon told him gruffly.

"I will," L-loyd replied. Silence fell for a moment, each not quite knowing what to say next. "I'm going to miss you," he said at last.

Garmadon squeezed him tighter.

"Guys," Kai called. "The Blind Man's Eye is coming."

L-loyd shifted and Garmadon set him down. "Be safe," he commanded.

"I will," L-loyd answered. He walked over to Kai and grabbed his hand.

Kai took a deep breath. "Ninja Go!" He yelled and twisted until they began to rise in the air. They landed on a small shelf and Kai leaned against the rock wall. He panted, and L-loyd took a step closer. Kai shoved him away.

"I'll be alright," he gasped. "Just give me a second."

L-loyd crossed his arms, but he let it go. He glanced down at the ground. He still could make out Garmadon and Harumi at the bottom. L-loyd waved at them, and Harumi waved back. His father was watching to make sure he was safe. The teen smiled.

"Hey, you ready?" Kai asked. L-loyd pulled himself away from the edge. They made the next few jumps without any major problems. Though Kai's rests in between got longer and longer.

L-loyd looked up. "Just one more jump left."

Kai gave him a weak thumbs up. This trip had really taken a lot out of him. Once they landed, he just flopped on the ground, right on top of the snow. A gust of wind blasted L-loyd right against the rock.

"The Blind Man's Eye is right above us!" L-loyd yelled against the wind. "You ready?"

Kai tried to sit up, but he collapsed back on the snow. L-loyd offered his hand, and, after a moment's hesitation, Kai accepted. He stood up, but L-loyd did most of the work. Kai's free hand was on his head, and L-loyd's heart sank. The fire ninja's concussion was back in full swing.

"How long till the Blind Man's Eye passes again?" L-loyd asked Kai. If he wasn't ready yet, maybe they could just wait till next time.

Kai shook his head slowly, but even that small movement caused him to wince. And L-loyd had a feeling he was in a lot more pain than he let on.

"The Blind Man's Eye travels all across Ninjago," Kai explained. "It could be days before it comes back again."

Kai tensed and twisted his body to start spinning again, but L-loyd stopped him. "You'll only hurt yourself more," he said. "It's not worth it." And unspoken between them was the danger of falling down the cliff.

Kai sighed. "But we're so close! And—" he swallowed. "I need to bring Lloyd home."

L-loyd understood, but this was their lives at stake here. "Are you sure you can make it?"

"Of course!" Kai snapped.

"You sure?" L-loyd repeated, staring the red ninja down. Kai looked away first.

"I have to," he said, so softly the winds almost drowned him out.

That wasn't reassuring, but L-loyd didn't get a chance to argue. Kai spun, pulling them up into the air. The winds jostled them around and Kai grimaced, trying to sustain their red bubble of air. L-loyd's heart raced. He glanced up. They were so close.

Kai moaned, and the air faded. They were going to fall again! L-loyd quickly snatched an icicle with his free hand and pulled himself in. His legs wrapped around the ice, slowing their fall. Kai was dangling from L-loyd's other arm, dragging them down off the edge.

L-loyd grit his teeth and took a deep breath. He could do this. L-loyd let go of the ice, hanging on with only his feet. He grabbed onto Kai with both hands and yanked the fire ninja over his shoulder. Now both hands were free to grab the icicle, and slowly, L-loyd began to climb up.

Finally, they made it to the top of the peak. The Blind Man's Eye was directly above them and the winds were blasting them full force. L-loyd stumbled, nearly dropping Kai, but he leaned against the wind and regained his balance. Kai groaned, and his eyes fluttered open. L-loyd took that as his cue to set the ninja on the ground. Kai's knees buckled, and he had to lean on L-loyd just to remain standing.

"What? How did we...?" Kai croaked.

L-loyd grinned. "I climbed an icicle and pulled us up here. But now we need to get into that storm," he said, pointing the swirling hurricane in the sky.

Kai groaned again, and tried to straighten up, but crumpled right back into L-loyd. "Just a second," he said, but he didn't even have the energy to muster his smirk. He couldn't even talk without panting for breath every other word.

L-loyd frowned. Kai really wasn't doing well. He glanced up at the storm. The Blind Man's Eye was drifting away. A few more minutes and they wouldn't be able to reach it, airjitzu or no. L-loyd looked back at Kai. He had caught his breath, but he was still leaning on his shoulder.

L-loyd took a deep breath. Maybe he could do airjitzu. All he had to do was spin right? Just like Master Wu's Spinjitzu back home. He grabbed Kai, and spun, and spun.

"What are you doing?" Kai yelled, clutching his head.

"Airjitzu!" L-loyd yelled back.

"You're doing it wrong!" Kai snapped.

L-loyd growled. Despite his efforts, they still hadn't lifted off the ground. "I'm doing my best!"

Kai sighed. "Let me."

"But you're head—"

"Just stop spinning!"

L-loyd paused, and Kai twisted, jumping into the air as he went. The red ball sputtered, then finally formed, lifting them into the air. He growled. "What did I do wrong?"

"You were just spinning in a circle."

"But that's what you do—"

Kai cried out, and they began to plummet toward the ground. L-loyd twisted, trying his hardest to carry them through the air. Nothing happened. Kai followed L-loyd's movements, and then they started flying. Together, they pushed toward the Blind Man's Eye.

They disappeared into the storm and stumbled out on a bunch of clouds. Kai flopped on his back and L-loyd joined him, completely exhausted. They laid there for a while, both trying to catch their breath, and just rest.

"We did it!" L-loyd panted.

"Yeah," Kai replied. "Thanks."

L-loyd rolled his head to look at the fire ninja. "For what?"

"For doing your twist thing. You slowed our fall and picked us back up again."

"I thought that was you," L-loyd replied.

Kai stared at L-loyd. "Are you kidding me? I was about to pass out again."

L-loyd frowned. "So how…"

"Let's just say, it was destiny," a strange voice said. L-loyd jerked up, Kai following more slowly. There was an old man, standing on a staircase that L-loyd was too exhausted to notice earlier.

"Who are you?" L-loyd asked.

The man smiled. "My name is Shen. Welcome to Cloud Kingdom."

Kai and L-loyd shared a glance.

"Come," Shen said, gesturing to his floating boat thing. "Your friends are waiting."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They made it! Yes! Next chapter will be the long-awaited reunion! After that, will come the epilogue. Can't believe it! Thanks for all the support!


	20. Swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Lloyd's get reunite and explanations are given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both EMPFangirl02 and I wrote parts of this chapter.

Garmadon was pacing the floor, clearly agitated. "How long is that guy going to take?" he growled impatiently.

"Relax, Garm," Koko said, coming over to stand next to him. "He said he had to take care of someone else and that he would come back," she told him in a soothing tone.

Garmadon turned to Koko. "He'd better be," he answered. "I could have found La-loyd myself by now."

"Garm, be reasonable," Koko continued. "This is a huge place. You wouldn't know where to look. I want to see our son just as much as you do." She took one of his hands, surprising the warlord. He gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Kokes…" He looked at his ex-wife with admiration and the normally talkative warlord seemed to be at a loss for words.

Lloyd quietly watched the exchange between the two. From what Garmadon had told him about their past, he knew there were hardships between them, but also it was clear that both of them cared a lot about their son and that seemed to bring them together, even just a little. Spending time here really made Lloyd miss his own father. He wished he was still alive...

Lloyd sighed and his thoughts shifted to his friends. He missed them and wondered what they were doing now.

—

"Right this way," Shen said, letting Kai and L-loyd get on his boat. The two sat down and Shen steered the ship with an oar that was just dangling in mid-air.

"How does that work?" L-loyd asked. "Are there air currents around us, or some kind of machine or…"

Shen laughed. "No, nothing that fancy. Remember this is a different realm, different rules."

L-loyd leaned back and nodded.

"You said that destiny brought us up here," Kai said. "So why didn't you bring us up here sooner?"

Shen sighed. "Unfortunately, we cannot just write Destiny however we feel like it. There are rules. And one of those rules is while we orchestrate the bigger picture, you must work out the details."

"Why?" L-loyd asked.

Shen smiled. "If we wrote your entire life, would it really be yours? You would just be our puppets, and no person deserves that. We only interfered in your case, because there was no physical way for you to reach your goals."

Kai snorted. "Whatever."

Shen turned to the fire ninja. "We also healed the majority of your concussion. Be grateful."

Kai rolled his eyes. "So where's Lloyd?"

Shen steered the boat towards one of the smaller temple-like buildings. "In there," he replied.

"And you said that my parents were waiting for me?" L-loyd asked, not quite believing the strange man's words.

Shen nodded. "Indeed."

"As in, both of them?" L-loyd asked again.

"Yes, Garmadon and Koko are both waiting for you," Shen replied.

L-loyd shook his head. His dad was waiting for him? His villainous, egotistical warlord father? And how did they even find their way up here? Probably had to do with the whole writing thing in this kingdom.

"We're here," Shen said. L-loyd swallowed. Well, here it goes.

—

The first thing L-loyd noticed as he walked in the large room full of various scrolls was an almost identical version of himself standing off by himself. It was so weird to see someone who looked just like you. At that moment the other Lloyd looked up and saw...himself. Then the two Lloyd's met in the middle.

"Uh, you must be Lloyd," Lloyd greeted L-loyd. "I've heard a lot about you."

L-loyd rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I've heard a lot about you too. Crazy mix up, am I right?"

"Yeah. I hope that Shen guy will explain all of this." Lloyd spied a glance at Garmadon and Koko, who were still engaged in a conversation. "Your mom is amazing. I wish my mom was like yours."

L-loyd glanced over at his parents. He still couldn't believe his dad was here. "Yeah, she's really great...but my dad…" he trailed off.

"He's different from my father for sure, but he does care about you," Lloyd told his counterpart.

Before L-loyd could tell his look alike that his father was alive, Kai made his way around him, looking for the one person he had been longing to see.

"Lloyd!"

"Kai!" Lloyd greeted, hugging his friend.

"Ow! It's good to see you, little brother," Kai winced, but happy to see his Lloyd again.

Lloyd stepped back and took a good look at fire ninja. "Kai? What's wrong? You don't look so good. What happened?"

Kai waved it off. "It's a long story. I got a concussion, but I'll be okay," he quickly assured Lloyd before the teen could ask more questions.

"So, you brought the other me here, all by yourself? Are you crazy?" Lloyd asked with a grin on his face.

"You know how I am," Kai answered playfully. "I would do whatever it takes for any of my brothers."

Lloyd hit the fire ninja lightly on the shoulder, shaking his head in amazement. "Thanks for coming, Kai. I have missed you guys so much! And you won't believe what I've been through!"

Kai chuckled, glad that his concussion was a lot better. Lloyd was in for a lot of surprises when he got back to their realm. "I can only imagine," he answered. "There's a lot to tell you, too."

L-loyd silently watched the exchange between the two friends. It made him miss his own friends. He turned to Kai. "Thanks for helping me get back here, Kai."

Kai looked over at L-loyd. "You're welcome. You have an amazing power. Put it good use," he told him, glancing over at the other Garmadon. Now that he had seen his realm's Garmadon, he could see the resemblance to the one here. He had no idea who the red-head was.

"I will. Well, I should go greet my family," L-loyd nodded. He turned and headed over to where Garmadon was still talking to Koko. He hadn't noticed his son yet.

"Mom? Dad?" L-loyd started. He had no idea how his dad would react.

"La-loyd?" Garmadon asked, turning around to see his son standing there. "You're back!" He then did something L-loyd did not expect; he engulfed his son in a four-armed hug that lifted him off the ground.

"Uh, hi, dad," L-loyd answered, too shocked to say much else. He couldn't believe this was actually happening, but he had to admit, it felt...nice.

Garmadon was more relieved than he realized that his son was back safe and sound. Spending time with the other Lloyd had gotten him to think a lot about what was really important; his family, and especially how much he cared about his own son.

Koko was moved by her ex-husband's display of affection with their son. She knew deep down he cared, but she had felt in the past that the warlord hadn't cared enough to come with them when she left with baby Lloyd all those years ago. But seeing this scene unfold before her, she felt misty eyed. She wanted them to have this time before coming over to greet her son. She too was relieved to see him here and unharmed.

Garmadon suddenly realized what he was doing and put L-loyd down. He ruffled his son's hair and cleared his throat. "Good to have you back, son. Do you know what I did while you were gone?" he asked, switching back to his bragging tone.

"Um...what?" L-loyd asked, afraid of the answer.

"I conquered Ninjago!" the warlord told him, proudly. "Now that you're back, you can rule it with me!"

"Dad—I…" Lloyd started awkwardly.

At that moment, Koko came up to the pair. "Knock it off, Garm. Lloyd will do no such thing!" she told the warlord in a no-nonsense tone.

Garmadon shrugged. He had time to convince his son later to join him.

Koko turned to Lloyd. "Lloyd, I was so worried! I'm so glad you're safe!" she told her son as she hugged him tight.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm glad to be back." L-loyd answered, returning the hug. He was amazed to see his parents together.

Just then, Shen walked into the room. "Now, let's get down to business, shall we?"

The reunions came to a halt and the five of them sat on cushions laid at the back of the room. Shen came over and knelt in front of them.

The old master took a deep breath, and began "I—"

"When will get back to our own realms?" Kai interrupted.

Shen sighed. "In a moment. We must gather your scrolls and write the precise words that will send you home. We don't want to have another accident."

"Accident? What accident?" Kai demanded. Koko wrapped a protective arm around her son, while Garmadon frowned.

Shen sighed. "My young pupil grabbed the wrong Green Ninja scroll, sending this Lloyd," he gestured to the teen firmly surrounded by Koko and Garmadon, "to other Ninjago universe. Meanwhile, the Lloyd you know was stranded in a storm that opened a gateway to another realm."

Garmadon snorted. "You know what I'd do with that guy? I'd fire him out of a volcano! That's how I roll."

L-loyd rolled his eyes and Koko gave him a glare. "Garm!" she scolded. He gave her a look that said, 'what?'

"Ahem, yes, that's not how we do things here," Shen replied.

"So, if this whole world swapping was an accident, why didn't you just send us back?" Lloyd asked.

"By the time I realized the error, we noticed that the other Lloyds were positively impacting their realms," Shen explained. "Since you two have different destinies and personalities, you were changing the destinies of your realms. There were dark futures ahead for both of you, but since you switched realms, those outcomes changed."

The Lloyds exchanged glances. Dark futures?

"But we can go home now, right?" L-loyd asked.

Kai put his arm around his Lloyd, and Garmadon's gaze darkened. "You better," he growled, and L-loyd stared at his father. He honestly didn't think the warlord cared that much about him but now… Was this what Shen meant about positively changing his realm? And the other Lloyd told him that his father cared...maybe things could really be different.

Fortunately for the writer, Shen nodded. "You have both done all you can for the other realm. It is time you resume your normal destiny in your own realms."

As soon as he finished speaking, five men in robes entered the room and knelt behind him. The unrolled what looked like ordinary parchment and set up their inkwells and quills.

"That's our destiny?" Garmadon scoffed. "I would've thought mine would've had more…  _pizazz_."

L-loyd sighed. His father was still as egotistical as ever. The writers ignored the warlord and looked to Shen.

"Ready to begin, Master Writer," one said.

Shen nodded. "And you're sure you have the correct scrolls?"

"We're sure," he replied, and the rest of them nodded.

"Then write the person's name," he paused to give the others time to write, and to L-loyd's surprise, it just looked normal ink. It didn't glow or make him feel any different, but then again, they just wrote down a name.

"And say, 'safely returns to the realm they were born in,'" Shen finished.

Silence fell, save for the scratching of quills. Then, all of them set down their quills and looked up.

"That's it?" Garmadon asked.

"Why isn't it working?" Kai demanded.

Shen smiled slowly. "Wait for it… and..." he lifted his finger, and suddenly the room began to bend and shift, nearly causing Kai to vomit. Lloyd blinked, and the Cloud Kingdom was gone.

He was suddenly back on the Bounty. His Bounty, with its flat sails and old wood and scratched up paint that just felt like home. Lloyd took a deep sniff, breathing in all the familiar smells. He grinned and turned to Kai.

"We did it," he said.

Kai grinned back. "Yeah, we did."

—

L-loyd rubbed his eyes, not quite believing what he was seeing. They were standing outside Ninjago, with its looming skyscrapers, bright colors, and funky buildings. No dark city with twisted alleys and secrets. No tall building with an oddly shaped O. After all this time… he was home.

"There it is La-loyd," Garmadon said proudly. "Our city."

L-loyd frowned. "Uh, dad?"

"What is it, La-loyd?" he asked.

"Well, um…"

"What he's trying to say, Garm, is we're not letting you rule Ninjago. You're a maniacal twisted villain," Koko finished.

The warlord laughed. "Enough with the compliments. Let the kid speak for himself. Tell her, La-loyd, you want to rule by my side as General #1."

L-loyd sighed. He already missed the other Garmadon.

"Well, I'm waiting," Garmadon said.

"No!" L-loyd snapped. "I don't want to be your General #1 or rule Ninjago! I want a Dad. Someone who actually loves me, someone who teaches me how to throw and catch, someone who's actually  _there_." He spat, all the years of frustration boiling in one burst.

He blinked furiously, trying not to cry in front of the warlord. Garmadon froze. Silent for once. Koko put her hands on L-loyd's shoulders and pulled him into a hug.

"Lloyd," she said softly. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

He sniffed and wiped his eyes dry. "I didn't want to worry you. You had so much going on… and it's no big deal. Really."

"No," Garmadon said quietly. "You're right, La-loyd. I should have been there."

L-loyd glanced up at his father. He actually looked… sad.

"A long time ago, when you were just a baby, I chose to let you go, and that was the biggest mistake of my life."

"Then why didn't you come back?" L-loyd asked.

Garmadon sighed. "I'm a warlord, and your mother made it clear that the life of the warlord was not the life she wanted for you."

"Garm…" Koko whispered.

He went on. "So I set my sights on conquering Ninjago, the only way to bring our two worlds together."

L-loyd frowned. "You had a funny way of showing it."

Garmadon crossed his arms. "How was I supposed to know you were the Green Ninja? It's not like I was gonna open up to some stranger."

"Fair point," L-loyd admitted.

"The point is, La-loyd," Garmadon continued, "I should have never let you go."

L-loyd swallowed. It was almost an apology, and he sounded so...  _sincere_. Koko let go of her son and stepped closer to her ex-husband.

"Garm," she said, "I never wanted to drive you away. I—" her voice broke. "I hoped you would come back."

Garmadon lifted his head. "But you said—"

"I wanted you to change," Koko corrected. "Not leave." Garmadon shifted uncomfortably.

L-loyd jumped in, "You don't have to be a warlord anymore. You can start over."

Garmadon looked back and forth between the two of them, but before he could say anything, the ninja came running up the hill.

"Guys?" L-loyd asked.

"Lloyd!" Kai cried, pulling the teen into a massive hug. "You're back!"

"Little too tight," L-loyd gasped, and Kai quickly let go, before Zane could increase the pressure like he did on Lloyd's birthday.

"Lloyd, we missed you," Nya gushed.

"It wasn't the same without you," Jay added.

L-loyd grinned. "I missed you guys too. I'm so glad you're okay."

"Of course," Cole answered. "But you missed a lot, man."

"We vanquished the Shark Army!" Zane chimed in.

"What?" Garmadon yelped, but the ninja ignored him.

"Group hug!" Kai yelled, and they all piled together, L-loyd in the middle. He closed his eyes and smiled, truly relaxing for the first time in days.

It was good to be home.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue to follow! Thanks to everyone who supported this story! You all made writing this a true joy! Also, kudos to anyone who noticed that we started every chapter with the letter S. It started out as an accident, but then soon quickly became a pattern and then a challenge to keep going with S.


	21. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our switched story conclusion...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EMPFangirl02 and I worked on this together also.

 

* * *

Lloyd stood at the railing of the Bounty, looking over Ninjago City with all its familiar buildings, Cyrus Borg's Tower being the most notable. He never realized how much he missed seeing that famous building. It was so good to be back. Raised voices drifted across the deck and Lloyd turned.

"We were waiting on the mountain for five hours!  _Five hours!_  In the freezing cold! Why didn't you say something?" Harumi yelled.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I had a concussion, nearly passed out, tried to get Lloyd home safe it slipped my mind!"

Harumi crossed her arms and Lloyd gaped. Even when she was upset, the princess looked absolutely beautiful. "It slipped your mind for five hours?"

"Alright, alright, I forgot," Kai admitted. "Will you let it go already?"

Harumi smirked. "Maybe when I've dropped you off on top of the Wailing Alps and  _you've_  spent five hours in the cold waiting for me to come back, I'll consider it."

Lloyd gasped. She couldn't be serious! The princess Harumi he knew would never—

"Okay, okay. You win," Kai said quickly. "I'm sorry I left you in the cold. By yourself. For five hours."

Harumi smiled. "Apology accepted."

"So you won't drop me off on the Wailing Alps?" Kai asked hopefully.

Harumi hummed and pretended to think about it. At least, Lloyd hoped she was pretending. Harumi caught Lloyd staring and he quickly looked away. Finally, Harumi turned back to Kai. "Not today," she said lightly.

Kai stared at Harumi with a look of horror and she laughed. Then Harumi glanced at Lloyd again, and saw how horrified he was by the whole exchange. So, she walked over to Lloyd and whispered, "I was never going to in the first place, but don't tell Kai that. His ego is way too large for his own good and someone has to put him in his place."

Lloyd was too shocked to do anything, so he just nodded. "O-okay."

And with that Harumi was gone. As she left, all she could think about was the other Lloyd. The one who inspired her to change and believed she could be a better person. Harumi still didn't like this world's Lloyd, the one who stole  _everything_  from her, and at first, she wasn't going to say anything at all. Let him believe she was twisted and evil. But Harumi promised the other Lloyd she would change. And so she would. One step at a time.

Lloyd watched her go and wondered what on Ninjago had happened since he was gone. Where were the other ninja? Had they found Sensei Wu? His mom had gone off looking for him, but he hadn't seen her since. He hoped she was alright.

"Kai?" Lloyd asked the fire ninja, who still seemed like he was in shock after the whole Harumi argument incident.

"Yeah?" he perked up.

"Did...my mom come back?" Lloyd asked.

"She did. She ended up in Kryptarium prison, but she got released when the Sons of Garmadon were disbanded. Most of them ended up getting sent there, except Harumi. It turned out that Sensei was de-aged to a baby, but now he's with your mom."

Lloyd blinked. "Wow. I didn't expect that, but I'm glad they're okay. Where are the other ninja?" The blonde wanted to know.

Kai gave him an uncomfortable look. "Well, you see, a lot happened while you were gone."

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked, confused.

"The other Lloyd brought your father back," Kai started.

"He WHAT?" Lloyd shouted.

"Keep your voice down! Shen healed most of my concussion, but my head still hurts a bit," Kai told his friend.

"Sorry," Lloyd answered quickly, lowering his voice. "But how did my father come back?"

"It's kinda a long story and I don't know all the details, but I'll do my best," Kai answered. He told Lloyd how Princess Harumi, aka the 'Quiet One' was the leader of the Sons of Garmadon and how she had befriended the other Lloyd and convinced him to bring back Garmadon because she viewed as a hero and how when they had collected all three oni masks, he was brought back.

"But it's not Sensei Garmadon, Lloyd. Only the evil side of him was brought back. But somehow, he seemed to bond with the other Lloyd, and he had a good influence on him. Unfortunately, Harumi convinced your father that in order to grow stronger, he had to fight and beat us. That's how I got my concussion and the others got put in the hospital," Kai finished.

Lloyd's head was spinning from this information. His father was alive, but he was evil? Harumi, whom he had only known as the Princess of Ninjago and had a crush on, was evil too? His father attacked and hurt his friends? He didn't know what to think. He suddenly felt sick. Maybe the other Garmadon wasn't so bad after all, but this Garmadon…

"Lloyd, buddy, are you okay?" Kai asked, looking concerned.

"No, I'm not okay. How can I be okay with any of this?" Lloyd snapped. "I should have been here to stop this!"

"Lloyd, I know this is hard for you, but the other Lloyd convinced Garmadon to stop. It could have been a lot worse." Kai paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "He also talked Harumi out of her plan for revenge. The other Lloyd has a power to connect people that I can't wrap my head around. But anyway, Harumi and Garmadon helped me and the other Lloyd up the Wailing Alps to get to the Blind Man's Eye. We never would have made it without him. Believe me, I was super skeptical of him until I saw how he helped us. I think that despite being evil, he still has a side of him that cares. The other Lloyd instilled something in him for the better. I think you could continue to help him, if you want to," Kai finished.

Lloyd thought over the fire ninja's words. He had missed his father a lot and often had wanted to see him again...just not like this. But maybe there could be a chance. He would never know if he didn't give it a try. And then there was Harumi. He really liked her. But now that he knew the things she had done, he wasn't so sure about his feelings about her, even if she had changed. He sighed. It all messed with his head.

"Okay, I guess I can try. Where is Garmadon?" Lloyd asked.

"Below deck in our quarters," Kai told him. "It may take some time, but I think you can do it together." He gave Lloyd an encouraging smile.

Lloyd smiled back. He hoped his other friends were doing okay. He wanted to check on them too, but first, he felt like he needed to face his father. He couldn't put it off forever, as tempting as that was.

"All right wish me luck," the teen told Kai as he headed below deck.

The fire ninja watched him go. He really needed to get some rest. This whole adventure took a lot out of him, but it was worth it to have Lloyd back where he belonged.

* * *

Lloyd made his way down the familiar hall of the ship. He stopped at the door and took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy. He didn't know what to expect. Would his father accept him? Would Lloyd be able to restore their relationship? And what about Harumi? Could he trust her again? Too many questions.

Lloyd opened the door and was surprised to see Harumi standing next to his...father. He could only see him from the back, but from he saw, he had really changed. He resembled the other Garmadon for sure. It was so strange. What was even stranger was that Garmadon appeared to be looking at pictures on the wall, as if he were studying them.

Lloyd cleared his throat to get their attention, and they turned around. Even though Harumi had seen Lloyd before, she was amazed at how much both Lloyds' looked alike. She sighed. She missed the other Lloyd already. She had to keep reminding herself that she was trying to change, and not let her old grievances come back.

Garmadon also took in Lloyd's appearance, but remained silent.

The blonde felt he needed to break the silence first. "Um hi," Lloyd said rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. He came closer to the two and addressed Harumi first.

"Kai filled me in just now about everything that happened here while I was away. I have to know, Harumi…did you really plan this all along, from the first day we met?"

Harumi looked uncomfortable. "Long before that, Lloyd. You were just a pawn," she admitted. "I wanted your father to come back and I wanted revenge. But...the other Lloyd, he helped me to see a different path and I changed."

Lloyd didn't know what to think. He felt the sting of betrayal. He couldn't believe she had this elaborate plan to use him. He was glad that the other Lloyd had gotten through to her though, or it could have been a lot worse.

"Yeah, I've heard a lot about what my counterpart did for this realm," Lloyd answered. "And it seems like it was for the better." His father still hadn't said anything yet. He was just standing there, staring.

Harumi glanced between the two of them, feeling the tension in the air. It was awkward between she and Lloyd now. She had never felt anything for him—she had just been using him. She felt some guilt about that now, since she changed, but that was only because of the other Lloyd. But perhaps, they could be friends, in time.

"Yes, he did, and I can say that I'm glad he came," Harumi answered wistfully. Her thoughts drifted to the other Lloyd. His smile. His kindness... She had to force herself to come back to the present.

"Listen, I need to check on something above deck. I'll see you around," she said.

Lloyd gave her a small smile. "Uh, sure. See you." She left the room, leaving the teen and his father alone. They silently appraised each other.

Garmadon remembered what his son (other son?) had told him.  _'You'll give him a chance, and treat him just like you would treat me, right?'_

"Son," the warlord said the word slowly, approaching him.

"Father," Lloyd acknowledged, feeling a little strange with his father's new appearance. "Now that you're back, what do you plan to do?" He had been wondering since his father was only evil now, what would he do? Try to conquer Ninjago? Would they have to fight each other? He hoped not.

"I...do not know," the warlord admitted. "I thought I knew what I wanted...but that all changed...recently."

Lloyd swallowed a lump in his throat. It was so hard to see the father he had known like this, and yet, he could see a glimpse of his internal struggle. He really wanted to see his counterpart again and talk to him about the effect he had on his father.

"Well, I'd like it if we could try to figure it out...together," Lloyd said, putting a tentative hand on one of his father's.

Garmadon looked down at his son's hand on his. It stirred a feeling that he couldn't really identify. Before Lloyd had come into the room, he had been looking at all the pictures on the wall of the room; of the Ninja, their friends...and then there was the one with Lloyd and...himself? He tried to remember…

"We can try," he finally answered.

Lloyd gave him a smile. That was a good place to start.

* * *

Finally, the ninja let go of L-loyd and they told him all about how they had learned to unlock their elemental powers, and it was all because of the other Lloyd. They no longer needed their mechs anymore.

L-loyd was amazed that so much had happened while he was away. He felt a little envious of his friends' powers, and even his counterpart had his own power. But then again, he was able to change Garmadon and Harumi in the other realm and that was pretty powerful.

He suddenly stopped. "Wait, where's Master Wu?"

"He's fine," Kai answered. "He wanted to make us think he had died to teach us lesson. Guess that also helped us to get our powers. We found our inner piece!"

"That's great. I'm happy for you guys," L-loyd told them. They continued on their way toward the city, talking and laughing. Koko and Garmadon followed behind more slowly. The red-head smiled at seeing her son happy. It was so good to have him back.

Cole glanced back over his shoulder and stopped. L-loyd turned around and saw what he was glaring at.

_Oh no,_  he thought.

"What do you think  _you're_ doing?" Cole asked coldly.

Garmadon froze, but he quickly plastered a smile on his face. "Going back to Ninjago, of course!" he replied.

Kai rolled up his sleeves. "If you're trying to re-conquer our city, think again!" he warned.

"You think you five can stop me?" Garmadon asked, in a challenging tone.

"We stopped you before, we'll do it again!" Kai yelled.

"Yeah. We have elemental powers now. We could take you right here and now!" Nya put in. The ninja edged closer, forcing the warlord backward.

L-loyd quickly jumped in between them. "Garmadon's not going to conquer anything." He glanced back to his father. "Right, Dad?"

Garmadon's gaze flickered, and his smile faltered. "La-loyd, I…"

"You're not going to conquer the city,  _right?_ "

Garmadon didn't answer. Koko put her hand on his shoulder, but he didn't respond. He felt torn, and he didn't like being indecisive.

"Dad…"

"If I couldn't change then, what makes you think I can change now?" Garmadon whispered.

"You can change. I can help you, we can do it together," L-loyd told him.

"Garm…" Koko pleaded. "Please."

"Dad, come home."

Garmadon paused. "You'll… give me another chance?"

L-loyd nodded, and the ninja glanced at each other.

"Uh," Nya began.

"Maybe?" Jay finished.

"But you better leave Ninjago alone," Kai demanded.

Garmadon glared at him. "I'll do what I want—"

"Dad," L-loyd warned.

The warlord sighed. "Fine, La-loyd." He took a deep breath and straightened. "I'll come home."

L-loyd threw his arms around him, and Garmadon staggered back. "Thank you!" he cried. "Thank you so much!" At least his dad was willing to try, and that was good enough for now.

Garmadon slowly patted his son on the back, feeling slightly awkward at the affection with everyone staring. L-loyd cleared his throat and quickly backed away. He couldn't help but think of the other Garmadon's four-armed hugs.

"Well, uh, let's get going, La-loyd," Garmadon said, quickly regaining his old swagger. He didn't even wait for an answer, he just marched on toward the city. "Come on, La-loyd, you're going too slow," he called.

L-loyd sighed. Garmadon had a long way to go, but he was hopeful.

A hand gripped L-loyd's shoulder, and he turned. His mom smiled down at him. "I'm proud of you, Lloyd," she said.

L-loyd smiled. "Thanks, Mom." He paused. "I'm sorry. I left you all alone, and I wasn't there, and I worried you, and—"

"Lloyd, it's okay. It wasn't your fault," Koko assured him, pulling her son into hug. "I'm just glad you're safe. It's good to have you back."

L-loyd squeezed her tight. "It's good to be back."

"Lloyd!" Cole called.

"It's your father!" Zane called.

"I'm back, baby!" Garmadon yelled, and L-loyd could hear people screaming in the city. He should have known it wouldn't be so easy for Garmadon to just waltz back in. The citizens still hated/feared him for wrecking their city, and they didn't really know he had changed yet.

"Don't run away," Garmadon called out. "I'm not gonna hurt you this time! Just instill some fearful respect for how awesome I am!"

L-loyd sighed, and Koko gave him a reassuring squeeze. It sounded like his father wasn't helping the situation. "Do you think he'll ever be… you know, good?"

Koko shrugged. "He'll always be Garmadon, but he does love you. If anyone can change him, it'll be you, Lloyd."

"We can do it together, mom. You can help him too."

Koko blushed. She wasn't quite ready to have her husband just come back in to her life like he never left, but she admitted that spending some time with him was nice. It would be a challenge, for sure, but she knew Lloyd needed a father in his life. Hopefully, little by little, Garmadon would come around.

"Lloyd!" Kai called.

"We need your help!" Jay screamed.

"I'm coming!" L-loyd called to his friends, breaking into a run. He already saved Garmadon and Harumi in a strange realm, so surely, he could do the same for his own father.

"Dad!" L-loyd called, and Garmadon turned around to face his son.

"La-loyd! You finally caught up!" he said. "Want to help me instill some healthy fear? I'll make sure that no one will hate you anymore. It'll be great!"

"No, Dad. I don't want you to do that," L-loyd told him. This changing business might be harder than he thought.

Garmadon smirked. "You know, technically, I did conquer the city, so—"

"No!" L-loyd snapped. "If you want to come home with us, you can't be a warlord anymore!"

Garmadon waved him off. "Fine, fine. So where do you live?"

L-loyd took a deep breath. He wished his father would just listen to him. He wasn't sure if his mom was ready to have Garmadon move in with them. It was too soon. But he did want to get to know him better and spend time with him.

"Dad, I'm being serious. You can't be a warlord! No conquering, no scaring people, no acting like you own everything," L-loyd insisted, trying to get through his father's thick skull.

"But that's who I am, La-loyd!" Garmadon replied.

"But you also said you were going to change," L-loyd reminded him.

Garmadon sighed. "I've been a warlord my whole life, La-loyd. I'm not gonna just change overnight. Besides, I didn't hurt anybody this time."

L-loyd frowned, but his father did have a point. "I know. This isn't easy for any of us." He took a deep breath and took a step closer to Garmadon, and after a moment's hesitation, he grabbed his hand.

"But we're going to figure it out together. We'll work through it. You just have to try, okay?"

Garmadon stared down at L-loyd's hand entwined with his. This is what he'd been missing all these sixteen years. This is why he'd felt so empty. Why he had wanted to conquer Ninjago in the first place-to reconnect with his estranged family. He needed them in his life, and if that meant giving up being a warlord, well…

Garmadon nodded. "Alright, La-loyd. I'll try."

L-loyd grinned. "Great! Now, let's get you settled before something else happens."

This time, Garmadon let L-loyd lead. He took his father down the back alleys in silence, not quite sure where he was going. He was pretty sure there was open apartment not too far from where he lived. Now he'd just have to convince the landlord to rent to the worst guy ever, and coming from the most hated kid in the city.

Yeah, that probably won't go over well. It would take a lot of convincing, but with his connecting power… maybe…? His thoughts drifted back to the other realm. He knew he had a promise to keep once things settled down here, and to be honest, L-loyd was looking forward to going back. Once everything was settled, of course. He wasn't sure how everyone would take that, especially since he just got back, but he would deal with that later.

L-loyd shook his head and came back to the present. Yeah, they still had a long way to go, but he was confident they could get there. Besides, his father promised he would change, or at least try to.

What could go wrong?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it everyone. Can't believe it's over. EMPFangirl02 and I had so much fun writing this story! Thanks to everyone who commented, especially Dinogaby! Your comments made my day!
> 
> We plan to do some one shots around this story, as a sort of sequel. It might take a while, but we'll do our best. 
> 
> That's all for now.


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